Avatar: Aftertime
by Johnwel Starking
Summary: Two thousand years after Harmonic Convergence, the Air Nation waged a war on the rest of the world below their sky cities. In time of need, the Avatar is nowhere to be found. But heroes of different origins rise above ranks and discover their intertwined destinies in restoring balance to the world.
1. The Ghost of Ba Sing Se

**The Ghost of Ba Sing Se**

 _The past haunts me every day._

"Honey." The old man said to the pie vendor. "One slice."

The girl took a pair of tongs in her hand. A tasty, sweet scent filled the air as she opened the metal food warmer under a low flame. "You're in luck, Mr. Arkha," she said, handing over a steaming wedge of honey-filled pie on a paper wrap. "It's the last one. Good thing I know you always get this flavor." She chuckled. "But my father always reminded me also."

The old man smiled, making the wrinkles between his cheeks and the tip of his lips more obvious. He gave her ten copper coins. "Thank you, Ling. How is he?"

Her yellow teeth vanished with the closing of her lips. "We hadn't heard of him since the Air Nation attacked the camp he was in…" She looked to the sky. Her eyes shone with the orange light from the dessert sun. "But hopefully, he'll return when the Earth Kingdom gathers more forces. They'd have no use of an old man like him."

"Or me." Arkha jested, putting the girl's charming smile back on her face stained with sand and grease and breadcrumbs. Arkha remembered when she was younger. Her father used to take her to the market where he sells his pies. His wife, a healer was taken to the battlefield to take care of the sick and wounded soldiers. Without someone to look after her at home, he brought Ling and her brother along with him. She helped her with their business and in taking care of her little brother, even though he wouldn't allow her to work. But a year later, he also had to leave his children. Not long ago, the young woman standing before him, pushing the pie cart back and from their house was a light-skinned thin child with dreams and wishful thinking. Her brother helps her out the best he can, but Ling knows that when he's old enough, he'll also be taken away from home. Now, she and her brother have become just like the rest of the people here. Casualties of war. Countless lives lost, for pointless quarrels.

He placed the wrapped pie next to the fruits, vegetables and a bag of rice grains inside his basket. "Well, if Jiao-long finally agrees to the Fire Nation's aid, he'd get as much as many troops as he needs. Your father can come home, then."

"Why hasn't he?" She asked him.

"He's still comfortable in his royal life up in the first rim. While his prime minister handles all negotiations with the Air Nation, his Highness is sitting down in his parties."

"So why won't the Fire Nation face the Air Nation already? They have strong weapons and powerful benders. The Earth Kingdom's forces are too weak to help them, anyway."

He laughed mockingly at the thought. "Those cowards don't fight in wars alone. Not anymore. They've learned to keep away from trouble since they want everyone to forget their warmonger years in the history books. They need a reason to fight and the Air Nation's threat against the Earth Kingdom is their chance to be the hero this time."

The pie store was Arkha's last part in his visits to the market. Afterwards, he headed home.

 _My grandchildren must be missing their grandpa,_ he thought.

He went through a village of small, square stone houses stacked like crates on a cargo ship. They were created by earthbenders for war refugees. Some had wooden doors. Others, like the old man's, had a piece of cloth to compensate. He looked at the sky. The sun had hid behind the behemoth wall of the impenetrable city. It was almost sundown.

A small child approached him just before he entered his house. His bones could be seen through his burnt skin. "Mr. Arkha," he said, showing him his palms. "My mother is sick. Can you spare her some food?"

Arkha smiled at him. "You know what?" He reached into his basket. "I just bought something for you and your mother." He gave him the bag of rice. "You know how to cook this?"

The boy wept as he nodded. "Thank you, mister."

The old man pat the boy on his back. "Now run along. Your mother must be worried."

Arkha pushed the cloth aside and went inside his house. It wasn't too small for him, but it would be for five people. He was greeted by his four grandchildren.

The first one, Zhana wore a smooth red dress under a gold belt. She jumped and embraced her grandpa. She was young, but Arkha's old bones and muscles couldn't take on more weight. He lost grip of the basket. Luckily, the twins, Kaano and Kanoa in blue caught it at both sides. Tashi was the last to come, since he was struggling to walk with a stick.

"Hello, Tashi." Their grandpa said.

The boy didn't respond. His face did not even show an emotion, other than not caring. He was waiting for his mother. And Arkha knew she was never coming home. But the boy didn't have to know that. So he kept it a secret.

"Come now, children," said the old man. "We must have dinner early so we can sleep before the night ripens. The dark is upon us, and with it, the _Ghost_."

Zhana hastily pulled on his muddy sleeve. "Please tell us more stories about him, grandpa."

He chuckled as he stroked his white beard. "Before you sleep, little one."

The four children gathered around the living area, just a few paces from the kitchen. Kaano and Kanoa guarded the lettuce and tomato slices with beans on a wooden plate. Zhana sat beside quiet Tashi by the warmth of the cooking fire for their tea. Arkha often gets free leftover tea leaves from Ling and his other friends who knew he loved to drink it. He mixes them and drinks whatever taste he made. He took more water from the barrel and poured it into the pot.

Arkha sat on a bench in front of the children. He unwrapped the honey pie and started eating it. "So…" he paused to chew. "The Sand Spirit. His blade of purple fire.

The Ghost of Ba Sing Se."

"Is he really a ghost?" Kaano asked.

"Some say he is," the grandpa answered. "Some say he is the spirit of a young man who was killed along with his people by the war. Others told that he's alive, and is honoring the dead by hunting their murderers. There are countless songs, but one significant word always came out from the mouth of the bards- that _he_ is of vengeful intent."

"Why does he want revenge?" Zhana asked.

Arkha kept a straight face. He tried to hide a heavy emotion under the skin on his face. "Well… Some bad people took this Sand village. It was part of a military operation for the Air Nation army."

"What happened to the village?" Kanoa asked.

The old man closed his eyes. He looked like he was in pain. He pictured a small village getting attacked by a merciless army. "The sandbenders sought to fight them. But the occupiers were too strong. And they had two of the most powerful benders and greatest soldiers the Air Nation will ever produce. Lieutenant Atto alongside his best friend and superior, the First General."

"Why did they attack the village?" Tashi said in the middle of silence. His voice was cold and grim as darkness. Arkha felt a deep emotion strike him as the boy spoke.

Arkha looked down. His eyes disappeared into the shadows of his eyebrows. He then took a piece of the pie and put it in his mouth. "The village was built in the shadow of a mountain. It was a brilliant place to hide their land camps."

The old man looked at the crippled boy wearing ragged dessert clothes, with the white strips of clothes matching his bandages. Tashi looked at him like he was waiting for more words from his storyteller.

"And…" Arkha added. "The Sand village is abundant with honey. They had a huge farm which was only a mile away from them.

The Air Nation army… as they were treading the dessert, they faced the worst sandstorm they ever saw, and their journey took longer than planned. They decreased in numbers. They left a trail of rotting corpses on their way. Those poor lads were buried in the sand, without their families knowing that their heroes had fallen. But fewer heads weren't enough for food to be had by everyone. Soon, their barrels were emptied. There was nothing to eat."

"Why were they in the dessert?" A curious Zhana asked. "Shouldn't they have landed on somewhere without sandstorms?"

Arkha smiled faintly at the little girl. "You are as perceptive as always, young one," he said. "Like the general."

He continued. "The General figured that they'd be detected by the Earth Kingdom if they landed anywhere in clear air above them. It was a usual Air Nation maneuver. While they have the upper-hand, coming from the sky, it's impossible to infiltrate the enemy bases in secret. That's why the dessert is the perfect place to land. But it came with a risk. The sandstorms, which they fell for, and loss of communication to keep them from being detected by the Earth Kingdom. With that, they couldn't contact the Air Nation in the sky to ask for supplies. They were on their own. Fortunately, their march led them to a honey farm. But it belonged to the Sand village."

Arkha noticed the sweet aroma that filled the room. The tea was ready. He stood up and reached for the lone wooden cup, next to a dusty object inside the cabinet. "Though they weren't even fighting in the war," he said. "The First General thought that they were still part of the Earth Kingdom, making them their enemy. And since they were hermits and far behind in technology, it was easy to beat them in battle, even with hungry soldiers."

He took the pot of hot tea and poured it into the cup. "That day, the Air Nation showed the world the extent of their abomination."Arkha heard the sounds of blasters and explosions, amidst a clamor of cries and screams. The tea was shaken with his trembling hands. "They painted the sand with red. They sprinkled the land with the blood of the people who called it home. The First General boasted his augmented airbending by testing it on the sandbenders."

Arkha went back to his bench where he left the honey pie. He tore a bit from the slice and dipped it in the tea before he sent it to his mouth.

Then he went back to his story. "Using their newfound weapons- suits that increase bending by exposing the bender to spirit radiation which is converted by the suits into chi. Funny. It took the Air Nation faster in inventing the technology when they could only study the spirit energy they collected when they first took off in the skies with their grand flying cities than the other nations who built those power plants around them. But the Air Nation did have a Varrick on their side."

One of the children had a hand raised.

"Yes, Zhana?"

"Didn't the Water Nation use their portals to power their underwater cities?" The girl asked. "That's where they went, right?"

"You mean they cowered?" The old man mocked. "They dived into their cozy sunken castles when the Air Nation declared war against the world. Instead of helping the other Nations, they chose to disappear. Where is their honor? I liked them better when they were led by a chief. Democracy weakened them. They didn't learn anything from the Earth Kingdom."

"Finish your story." Tashi said in a hostile tone. "I want to sleep."

"Oh, of course, my child." Arkha wanted to scold him, but he was stopped by the sight of the boy's bandages and stitches. "The First General and Lieutenant Atto laid waste on the Sand village with their augmented bending suits. Their powers increased dramatically as the firebenders are during a comet passage.-"

The fire suddenly went out. The house was darker than the night outside under the light of the moon. Arkha felt a warm wind on his skin. He closed his eyes and rubbed them as sand had entered the room. He opened them slightly. His vision was impaired, but when he looked at the window, he saw something- a dark figure before a greyish landscape. He could see a round shape on its head, like a hood. He wore a robe, wrapped by strips of cloth, fitting it to the shape of his body- which by his estimation was a man in his early twenties. His arms and legs were also covered by the same strips. There was no denying that the person was from the dessert.

The figure looked at him. Its eyes shone with his own reflection lit by the moon. It spoke in a deep, and the most haunting ghastly whispers he heard.

"You're Arkha?"

The old man nodded grievously.

He went inside and picked up the spark rocks and used them to revive the fire. "Sorry about that. But it is windy outside. And dessert winds come with sand."

 _Sand spirits come with sand_. "Would you like some tea?" Arkha offered. "It's on the pot on the cooking fire. But I only have a lone cup- the one I'm having right now."

The Sand Spirit watched the sand that filled the air in the room. "That won't be a problem," he said.

The mysterious young man held his arm and waved his hand through the air around him. All the sand inside drifted to his gestures and encircled him. He summoned more sand from outside to form a ball of sand as big as his head. He pressed the sand in until it became a dense stone twice the size of his fist. The stone spun between his hands and little by little, it emitted a red glow. Arkha could feel the heat radiating from it. Moments passed until the stone turned into a reddish-white ball of lava.

The light emanating from the hot liquid stone reached the stranger's face; enough for Arkha to observe a scar that covered the right half of his face. Arkha had seen countless wounds in his time. So he knew that the scar he saw was of a burn. The small streaks of darker skin looked like a channel of rivers on a map, making it a burn from lightning. _Or a firebender_.

The bender carefully sculpted the molten rock into the shape of a cylinder with a closed bottom. He brought the cylinder on the barrel of water and dipped it in. Steam came gushing out the barrel. When he lifted the cylinder, it had become metal. The hooded young man bended it into a polished, metal cup.

Arkha chuckled silently. "That's a neat trick. Come in handy?"

"It's an old blacksmith's technique," the young man said, reaching for the pot. He poured tea into his cup. "Applying earthbending to crafting metalware makes the task easier and faster. I made my own armor, among other things…" He emptied the hot cup in one drinking. He flattened it in his palms and turned it into a blade of a dagger. He threw it to the wall; an inch right to the old man's head. "Yes, it comes in handy."

Arkha rubbed his left ear. He saw his reflection in the shiny metal dagger. His face was old and weary, and surprised from the young man's stunt. "Remarkable."

"Not as remarkable as your feats in battle." He said. "First General Arkha."

He scoffed. "That's a name from a distant past." Arkha looked into the cup of tea in his hands. "It's _Retired_ First General Arkha now. Atto has succeeded me a long time ago. He was always the greater soldier."

"He's next," the Spirit said. "He was with you that day. He stood by you when you attacked my village."

"That day."

"Do you remember?"

"Clear as yesterday."

Arkha closed his eyes and saw himself back in a different day. An earlier time. He felt the youth he had lost to the years. He felt the fire inside him that day. The excitement. The rage. The hunger for power and destruction. The honor of fighting for the glory of the Air Nation. How he missed that sensation. But his grief and regret had replaced all these feelings the moment he tried to forget them.

First General Arkha ordered his men to wait as he and Atto dealt with the first strike. They were a storm that sent the villagers' tents soaring to the sandy sky. Using their heightened bending, they slaughtered the sandbenders. The men were blown up from the inside. The women and children were killed by the debris and lack of air when the other Air Nation troops finally attacked and deprived them of breathing. They did all those horrid things for a few barrels of food and honey. They were a peaceful village, unknowing of the war. And now, their home is a pile of trash and bones buried in red-painted sand. All because some soldiers were hungry.

An airbender soldier was about to suffocate a young boy, the last of the village, as others watched, when the First General stopped him.

"Leave that one." First General Arkha said. He saw an old man at the feet of the boy. He was wearing different clothes than those of the sandbenders. He was protecting the boy. But he failed. "Let him tell the others what we did. I think he'll be much more convincing with some blood on his clothes."

The soldier let the boy off his airbending grasp. He knelt down and cried on the old man's dead body. Then the soldier pulled him off the body and showed him to the First General.

The young sand villager met eyes with the First General. The face of a murderer. He would not forget it.

"Take him," Arkha said with a grin. "I'm still short of an earthbender in my collection."

The sand villager was entrapped in a metal casing and suspended it in the air.

Arkha opened his eyes in bewilderment. His heartbeat started to race.

"Do you remember me?" The Ghost whispered.

"You're… you're that boy." Arkha realized. "How did you escape?"

The Ghost hit the old man with the back of his hand. Arkha fell from his bench; his face touching the ground. He coughed with the cold of the ground, chilling his chest.

"I adapted. Or the spirits were kind enough to grant me strength. Did you really think I wasn't going to find you?"

"I never thought that you survived. We always thought that you died from the fall."

"I never fell. I flied." He took something out of a pouch on his belt. It was a metallic rod connected to a wire that went somewhere to his back. His hand was trembling with haste. "Last words? You could try for an apology, but it won't change what I've anticipated to do for twenty years."

The old man forced a smile. "How was the tea?" He asked, whimpering.

The Ghost spat on the murky ground. "Didn't like it. I like my tea with a drop of honey."

The old man wept. "I know why you're here," he muttered. Tears came out of his eyes. "I took your village. Your family. I ruined your life. And I'm ready for what's to come.

But please, not in front of the children."

The Ghost looked around. "What children?"

Arkha found himself in an empty house. No Kaano and Kanoa- because they ran away from the war. Zhana was fighting in it, but she still needs help from Tashi, whose stubbornness cost him a long beating from the Air Nation's whiplashes, crippling him. Tashi… he was the boy he left to tell the tale of the sand village ambush. He was the ghost of the sand people; the ghost of his past, who came back to haunt their murderer. To pay what was owed. To take back what was taken from him.

A monotonic buzzing sound came from the metallic rod the Ghost was holding. A beam of purple light emerged from the tip. The tubular streak was as long as a longsword. The ray of light ended in a significant fading. Arkha has seen this light before. The beam reminded him of the shots from spirit blasters and cannons; warfare designed after a dark spirit which launched similar blasts from his eye.

And the old man closed his once more. He braced himself for the end.

"I knew this day would come."

The Ghost of Ba Sing Se raised the _spirit blade_.

"So did I."

 **Next Chapter- "Gathering Strength"**


	2. Gathering Strength

**Gathering Strength**

If a person stood at the edge of the outer wall, he would see perhaps the largest gathering of troops in recent history. Camps and banners with the red Fire Nation insignia spread all over the land, with rocket artilleries guarding the base. At the center, a force shield projector stood half the height of the giant wall of metal, towering the soldiers and camps and construction machines. They shared the technology with the walled city, as they needed defense from aerial attacks more than what their steel walls are supposed to defend them from. Inside the camps housed soldiers from a land across the oceans. They left their families to help the Earth Kingdom defeat the Air Nation, even though the Earth King repeatedly rejected their aid.

Such is the struggle of General Zendal. He was sent to lead the negotiations with the Earth King Jiao-Long and his Prime Minister. At a young age, he earned the rank for his talents and heroic feats during the war. But the presses and gossipers keep on bringing up the fact that he is engaged with the Fire Lord's daughter, Princess Kiega, arguing that Zendal merely seized his title by getting close to the royal family. He was adopted by the royal family after he was found as an infant placed before the gate of the castle. The Fire Lord took the baby as a sign from the spirits that they are still watching over the Fire Nation, and raised him as his own, though he would not inherit any titles.

But his brothers-in-arms had seen him in battle. They told stories about him using his skills to defend the Fire Nation. The most prominent one was when he singlehandedly defeated a fleet of Air Nation war balloons using his legendary weapon- the Fire Blaster. He brought down a dozen shielded balloons in one standing.

His latest mission makes for not much of a story to tell around campfires, unless there are people who would enjoy hearing about Zendal coming in and out of the walled city to spend dinner with the Earth King every day to convince him to take their help and join forces against the Air Nation army. But Jiao-Long grows more stubborn every time, and Zendal, impatient. Still, he couldn't abandon his mission. It was given to him directly by the Fire Lord himself. So he went back to the palace to try and try.

"Open the gate! General Zendal is here!" Cried an Earth Kingdom soldier, as Zendal sat next to Haezor, his friend and this time, his driver, in a military vehicle. The wall of steel that reflected the sun's light felt hot to the eyes. It was hot to the touch, even. Zendal tried it once, and he swore to a burn on his finger that he wouldn't do that again. Steel walls under the scorching dessert sun- Zendal found it unwise and inconvenient. It provided thrice as stronger defense for the city, but it also caused discomfort amongst anyone near it. That means the soldiers who are there to protect their home.

The gate opened. A square hole bore through the steel a hundredth the height of the wall. The soldiers saw a faint light through the darkness, leading to the other side. Relatively small, but a fire nation tank like the ones on their base can still fit in. Haezor drove the vehicle inside the tunnel. Surprisingly, the temperature shifted. It was cool inside. Zendal savored every second inside, because the first thing that await him going out the tunnel was a wave of extreme heat from the afternoon sun.

Haezor sneezed at one point.

"You okay?" Zendal asked him.

"Yeah," Haezor wiped his nose with a white handkerchief he took from his coat pocket. "Not used to going to the cold after whole days in the hot dessert, especially when our camps are next to an oversized baking stove turned inside out."

Zendal looked at the side mirror next to him and saw the tunnel close in behind them. Though the earthbenders can see them in the dark, he was still anxious that somehow, they miss and crush them with the steel bars. Maybe it was the cold, but he shuddered at the thought that the Earth King had taken sides with the Air King and are planning to lure the Fire Nation into a trap. Zendal was scared that the walls would close in for them. The Earth King was said to be scared of many soldiers that aren't at his command, so Zendal was only ever allowed to bring one escort, and being his most trusted, it was Haezor he brought with him.

And that's one of the reasons he admired the new walls. Before, it was only made of sandstone; but today, the mighty wall of steel roars hope and protection in the hearts of the citizens of the walled city.

Haezor looked at his friend the general. A look of worry and fatigue was painted on his face. He leaned over and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, you'll be fine. The Earth King will fold one of these days. And then, we can go home for your wedding."

Zendal smiled for a second. "Marriage," he breathed. "Another war."

They both laughed.

And then a thought occurred to him. "But I don't think home is near in the waiting. If the Earth King does give in and finally accept our help, then it's off to war with the sky."

Haezor scoffed. "I know we can beat them; with or without the Earth Kingdom's help. Placing their cities in the sky just made them more vulnerable. The higher they are, the harder they'll fall."

"That's not a bad tactic." Zendal remarked. "But it's been thought of before. And the Air Nation has dealt with that by using hostages to ensure that we don't hit the flying cities with our own on board."

"Hey, all I know is that the Earth King is a coward and the Fire Lord shouldn't need their help to fight back. We alone are powerful enough to defeat them."

"That's what you know," Zendal stared at the light at the end of the tunnel. "But you haven't seen what they have in store for us. None of us have. _We're all driving through a dark tunnel, and the light is the only thing we have to follow_. Only they know what they're up to. Fighting _songbirds_ is hard enough. I'm sure they have more in store for us."

"Damn songbirds. I hear 'ya." Haezor kept the speed of the vehicle constant, until the picture of songbirds flashed in his head. He sped up a bit, as the end of the tunnel was near. "I mean, how the firecrack do you _bend sound_?"

"I'm not surprised," Zendal said. "A long time ago, benders can only bend the four elements. But now, we have all sorts of sub-elements. The airbenders just discovered theirs now because they hardly ever used it for combat in the past. There was no need to evolve back then."

"And now, they wage a war on the _land_ - _dwellers_. They think they're so special, with their flying cities and flying suits."

"Don't you have a flying suit?" Zendal crossed his arms. "What's your excuse?"

"When I fly, I leave an awesome streak of fire." Haezor boasted.

Zendal looked back at the road. "Just keep driving."

When they made it through the dark tunnel, the light was almost blinding. And it was hot; way hotter because they just came from a cold place. Haezor felt even sicker for that. He stopped the vehicle a couple meters from the wall before it closed; where nearly a dozen Earth Kingdom soldiers awaited to escort them to the palace. Some of them didn't look happy with Zendal. They were older than him, and he has a rank that they knew that they could never achieve.

Zendal shrugged his shoulders to get some air in his coat. He combed his dark brown hair with his fingers to get it into shape, after the wind from the car's open roof ruined his look. "That, I can't get used to," he told Haezor, whose hair cream did his well, as he was just as when they were at the other side of the wall.

The leader of the squad came to the general and saluted by pushing his fist against his chest as he bowed down. "General," he greeted. "The Earth King awaits."

Zendal sighed. He and Haezor jumped out of the car. "Very well. Let's get this over with."

The squad punched through the ground and formed a circle surrounding them and their guests. It sunk into the ground as they stood on a flat surface, like an elevator. A circular frame showed the heavens above. But everyone knew that the sky was no paradise. For the enemies are hiding behind the clouds. Once the fantasy ended, the squad leader closed the window. Zendal opened a flame to light the descent. Soon, they reached an underground world, lit with crystals and artificial light, with a wide system of caves reaching everywhere throughout Ba Sing Se. The walls were clad in steel and other objects to keep the place intact.

"Let's go," the squad leader said.

At a post near them, a train awaited. It was a single-carriage ride sitting on a railroad. This railroad unites the city, and was designed by earthbenders and architects as an escape route when an invader occupies the walled city; that was the plan, anyway. Word got out and it was forced to be published. Now, it's New Ba Sing Se, or more commonly known as the Undercity, full of stores and rental homes and business centers. The Undercity is Ba Sing Se's alter identity. On the outsde, it's hot, and dirty, and reeks of poverty; underground, it's a busy city that doesn't go to sleep, even though it's always dark. This place is exclusive to earthbenders, as earthbending is the only key to the city.

The train was guarded by the _Dai Li_ , who are the protectors of the culture in Ba Sing Se. They had a bad history for being tied to conspiracies, forcing them to work out of the public place. But their work still remained, handing over information throughout the world as a secret organization. They have agents all over the planet except the Air Nation, unfortunately.

"Good work, Squad Alpha." A Dai Li agent said, blocking the train door. "We'll take it from here."

The squad leader did not stand aside. "I wasn't notified that you are to relieve us."

The agent smirked. " _You had just been notified now_."

Zendal and Haezor looked at each other. Their expressions showed contrast in what they feel about what could happen. Haezor seemed excited about a brawl, as he always is. Zendal was hoping otherwise, but he can't be so sure.

As the Dai Li and the squad have an intimidating standoff, just as the men get their weapons out, a wall of fire divided them. They all saw the Fire Nation general who glared at them with a straight face and burning eyes. He jumped in the middle of the men. "I don't like where that was going. If you want to fight, do it on your own time." He turned to the Dai Li agent. "Don't waste ours. There's work to be done." Then to the squad leader. "The Earth King awaits."

Without another word from everyone, Zendal went inside the car. The startled Dai Li gave him way.

"Damn..." Haezor murmured as he followed his friend into the train. "Did you eat crackers for breakfast? I thought you were gonna hurt them there."

"Almost." Zendal said. "Aren't you mad, too? Here we are, at war with the Air Nation, and the Dai Li and the Earth Kingdom soldiers are having spats under the Earth King's nose. Their army is not stable; how can they defend their country from enemies?"

"They can't." Haezor gripped his best friend's shoulder. "That's why you're here- to give them help from our Nation."

Zendal wore a faint smile. "I'm only here because the Fire Lord ordered me to. I'd rather be with Kiega than here."

"I know."

The squad leader joined them. "I'm sorry for what happened back there, Sir."

"It's fine," Zendal told him. "Just don't let it happen again. Fight in front of me, and you'll end up needing to team up to beat the two of us."

"Yes… yes, sir." The squad leader's legs were trembling. Zendal's voice _does_ intimidate when he's not happy. The earthbender called out to his men outside. "Let's go!"

The train began to move. The other squad members went inside the car as well. Trains in the surface world are moved by electricity, which is harvested by catching sunlight and converting solar energy. But in the Undercity, where earthbenders roam, trains work the old-fashioned way. By pushing the stone or metal cars with bending, they save energy while putting their skills to use- that is one of the primary reasons the Undercity was built. Only an earthbender can enter and leave here. Zendal and Haezor were still troubled even after a month of their visits, especially the general that a fight might break out and they have to fight their way through a community of earthbenders in their home, surrounded by metals and earth.

The trip was short. The palace was soon right above them. But the Earth King tends to meet foreign guests while showing off the best of his Kingdom, and that is at his favorite restaurant in the Undercity- Keikou's. Unlike Haezor, who is the king of feasts, as he calls himself, Zendal has a stomach for Fire Nation dishes. He found Keikou's food good, but to him, the chili cakes that Kiega makes for him will always be his favorite, and remembering that makes him yearn for home more.

The train left as soon as they landed. The restaurant was a tall building, extending to the ceiling of the twenty-meter high cavern. Zendal and Haezor approached the man they recognize amidst the crowd of customers and guards.

"Well, good evening, General Zendal, Sir Haezor." The adviser Li Kan greeted.

"Forgive me, but are we late?" Zendal asked, embarrassed. "Since His Highness is already here-"

"Oh, no! No! Of course not," the thin and gray-haired adviser said. "His Highness was just worried that the restaurant will be out of roasted lamb… again. So we went here early so we can ask Keikou to have three reserved for His Highness and his guests. General, I know that you have Fire Nation taste, so I asked them to double the chili sauce on it."

Raezor's mouth watered. His stomach was grumbling for dinner. He held Zendal's arm like he was about to collapse. "Oh, man. We shouldn't keep the lamb waiting!"

"Sir Raezor, act your rank." Zendal whispered to him before he pushed him away and turned back to the old adviser. "Pardon me for my friend, again."

The old man laughed. "His Highness would prefer his guests take this dinner as a friendly affair instead of a formal one."

"I'm your man, then." Raezor said, and went inside the building.

Zendal sighed.

The adviser chuckled to see the general get peeved by his friend. "I figure you're used to Sir Raezor's behavior?"

"You have no idea." Zendal said. And then they followed Raezor into the restaurant.

Keikou's is an establishment like no other Zendal's ever seen in the Fire Nation. Back at home, the Burning House had doors where dragons can fit without making any scratches. The last time Zendal ate there was at Princess Kiega's coming-of-age party. Back then, she was still his girlfriend. He planned to ask her to marry him in the same place, but the Fire Lord already saw that they made a good match and arranged it.

The old adviser, Liro, while having a hard time walking, was a powerful earthbender in his youth. Some of his skills remain in him. Liro raised his hand and took the floor up the building. Zendal and Haezor marveled at the place like it was their first time in there. Maybe they weren't just used to it, but the hanging floors around the cube-spaced building was just far too bizarre for people who normally eat on a wooden table in the middle of a room. Here, at Keikou's, all the floors hung from the walls, attached with earthbending. Some tables were way up high to jump on, and there were no stairs or ladders. It truly was a place designed for earthbenders.

The Earth King was seated in a corner floor, to ensure that it will carry his weight. His Highness sat on a large table, but not enough to hide the King's global belly. He was already munching on a lamb's leg, dipped in honey and garlic sauce. The Earth King's robe was stained with purple wine and golden sauce. When he saw his guests, a huge smile stretched his lips, showing his teeth yellowy with the food he's been eating. He called them over with his brutish, loud voice.

"Har! Spirits bless me! For Jiao-long is visited by mighty dragons from the West! Come! "

Zendal and Haezor stepped down from the platform and bowed. "Your Highness, we are pleased to see you again."

"Liro!" He pounded his fist on the stone table, making the floor shake, since he was also an earthbender. The bottles of wine almost tumbled down. He shouted, though his adviser was only a couple meters away. "Have the other lambs served! Our guests must be famished! Har-ha!"

Liro bowed in affirmation and went back down. Zendal sat at the right side of the behemoth king, and Haezor was forced to sit at the other side. The King's plump, jiggly arms wrapped around them. Zendal felt dizzy and nauseous of the smell. Haezor did all his best to hold his breath, but the King's wrap made it harder to resist.

"So!" The Earth King said. "What business do you have for me, dragons? What other _protections_ would you like to offer my beloved city?"

Zendal shook his head and focused. He prepared to speak as he was prepared to be turned down again. "You Highness, I have contacted the Fire Lord on the best ways of helping the Earth Kingdom. He has graciously authorized to send our best bioengineers and other specialists to improve your army. Should you agree to fight with us against the Air Nation, your army will be armed with the latest Fire Nation military tech, like the one I and Haezor are wielding."

The Earth King silenced. He rubbed his wobbly chin. "Interesting."

"You've seen us use it in combat. If a firebender can fly, or shoot lasers that can reach the clouds, what if an earthbender was given this power? What earthbending abilities might this technology reveal?"

The Earth King did not respond or move for a few seconds. He filled his mug with wine and drank it empty. He placed the mug back on the table without making a sound, save for a small clang. "Dragon boy, you place a tempting offer…"

 _Finally_ , Zendal thought. It's been too hard for him to get the Earth King's attention. "It is one where victory is assured. Joining our forces would defeat the Air King without doubt."

The Earth King's eyes narrowed. "Without doubt, eh?" He murmured.

Zendal's spirits heightened. He was eager to push the king further. _I have his attention_. It was time to take him down. Zendal had prepared for this moment. For the weeks that they stayed in the city, he had grown tired of hearing "no" from the Earth King. But something just seemed to go adrift the line; like something was holding the Earth King back from taking action in this critical situation.

"My, my, Dragon boy…" the Earth King laughed. "It seems that the tides do change after all." He landed his fist with the lamb's leg on the stone table. Three stone cups emerged from the surface. It was the first time he did that in front of the Fire Nation soldiers. "But I was planning to say yes today, anyway."

Zendal watched in bewilderment as the king poured wine into their cups. The Earth King didn't look as happy as Haezor was for Zendal. "Um, Your Highness, as I'm grateful that you accept this deal, I'm curious-"

The stout king roared as he banged the table with his gnarly fists. "Liro! Where are those lambs?!" Zendal took his cup of wine up while Haezor picked up the other two to keep them from the shaking table.

Soon, Liro came with two servers who carried each of the other lambs on a steel tray on their hands. They pushed the trays and sent them to the table, two meters away with earthbending. The Earth King laughed with the landing of their food. "Come now, dragons! Have yourselves a feast! Let's celebrate the glory of our nations!"

Haezor grabbed the lamb by a leg. He tore it off the roast and set it aflame with a fire on his palm. The Earth King was amused by Haezor's carefree attitude. "Now, this man knows how to have fun!" His Highness remarked.

"I don't know how to have fun, Your Highness," Haezor said. "I'm just a guy who's trying to be himself!"

"Hahar! Well, I like the real you, dragon boy!" He noticed Zendal merely eyeing his food. "General! You don't eat with your eyes!"

The Earth King and Haezor shared their mirth across the restaurant. Their laughs combined can be heard from outside. Liro was worried that the other customers would be annoyed by them, even though they seemed happy to see their King eating food from the same cooking fire that did theirs. He tried to open up a conversation to reduce the noise. It was a good for him that a topic is already on the light box- for a known criminal is on the news once again. "Oh, Your Highness!" He cried. "The Ghost is at it again!"

Zendal first heard of the Ghost of Ba Sing Se when he was on his way to the Earth Kingdom. All the way, his men would tell stories about the vigilante bent on revenge against the Air Nation. He vows to kill Earth Kingdom magistrates and other members of the royal ensemble until the Earth King declares to fight back and join the war.

The Earth King grinned, and stared at the blurry image of the Ghost. He stared at it, his fist crackling with each grip on itself. His eyes were flashing fire. He was angry at him. "I want him out of my city, Liro!" He bellowed. "He has murdered so much people."

"Our best men are doing what they can to hunt this outlaw down, Your Highness."

"Then they're not good enough." The Earth King said. "I don't see the Ghost inside our prison, or on the block."

"Should you need our help, Your Highness, we'd be glad to rid your city of this _Ghost_."

The king scoffed. "Oh, there you go again, offering me help, and-"

The Earth King snorted. His laughter was as loud as his guests were startled and confused. "Ha-ha! You!" The whole time he was har-haring, he pointed at Zendal and then the image of the Ghost.

"What is it, Your Highness?" Liro asked him.

It took a few more seconds until he mummed. When the Earth King was ready to talk clearly; "Great spirits! I've been sitting beside the Ghost all this time! Har!"

The three turned their heads. Haezor raised his stone cup and smelled it to find out if the Earth King had something in his drink and whether he had in in his.

Zendal leaned forward. "Your Highness, I believe we're all confused by your statement. What did you mean by what you said?"

"Think about it!" He roared. "Dragon-boy here has a lot like our vigilante here… You both wield these powerful weapons- you, the laser blaster; and him with his spirit blade. And you do what you do to get me to fight the Air Nation! Don't you see?"

The adviser frantically gestured apology to the Fire Nation general. Part of his job is to keep the Earth King likeable to his subjects, to keep their trust with protecting the country with him. In the Air Nation conundrum, the king cannot waste all of his opportunities to gather allies, to help them resist the Air Nation attacks. He can't afford to lose the Fire Nation because of some silly comment about the envoys who come to form an alliance with him.

Liro wiped the sweat off his forehead with his wrist. "Um… Your Highness?"

"What?" the Earth King Jiao-Long said. "I was just makin' japes about this stroke of fate!"

"Still, You Highness, General Zendal is here to speak business."

Zendal was about to say that he wasn't offended, but the Earth King didn't give him the chance to speak.

"Business! Business has been done, Liro! Now is the time to celebrate!"

The old adviser felt undermined once again. He and the Earth King were childhood friends, but Jiao-Long kept himself above him, as he was royalty. Liro was his caretaker. He was there to keep him on the ground. He felt nothing new when he found out that the person he's supposed to give advice made a critical decision without his guidance or consult. He thought it was for the best, though. It was the better choice for Liro as well.

And celebrate they did. They stayed at the restaurant all night. While Zendal was feeling like his work was done and is wanting to leave, Haezor didn't want to stop eating and drinking with his new buddy the Earth King. Zendal only had one leg of the spicy lamb Jiao-Long had made for him; and three cups of wine, while his friend indulged himself into inebriation as the Earth King kept filling his mug full and there were still food to wash down.

After that, they went their separate ways. Liro brought home a sleeping giant, while Zendal his friend.

Zendal took Haezor to their camp. They were escorted by much more respectful Dai Li agents. They took the train and then went up to the surface. It might just probably be the last time Zendal had been to New Ba Sing Se.

The young general carried Haezor to the fire knight's tent, then went to his. But just as he was about to enter, he heard a voice.

"You're a good friend."

Zendal looked to where the voice came from. He thought it was Haezor, but it couldn't have been, for he was drunk. But the person before him was supposed to be asleep on a bed, as well.

"Y- Your Highness!"

"Shhhh!" The stout king Jiao-Long hushed the startled general. "You'll wake up the guards."

"Guards?" Zendal was confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some tea in the palace." He pulled a tumbler and a pair of cups from his large pocket. "I brought some for us and your fun friend."

The Earth King laid the cups on his wide palm, held still by his fingers. He poured the tea in them and gave one to Zendal.

"Though the wine is still in my head, I can control my body as I'm almost sober…" Jiao-Long said. "Earlier, you were about to ask me something when I roared for lamb."

Zendal remembered. He was wondering why the Earth King, after all those nights keeping a stubborn attitude, all of a sudden give in and agree to the deal. "You came here for that?"

The Earth King laughed. "I've run out of things to do! I get really easily bored!"

"Well, since you're here," Zendal said, and then drank tea from the cup. "Why did you?"

The Earth King grunted, clearing his throat. "Let's just say this: the world, as you've found out as a man of war, is not a happy story. There are men who would do things that no other person would in a long time. People, I bet even you must often think of me as someone soft, and weak."

"Your Highness, I-"

"It's fine. I understand. You're a warrior, and the enemies sought to meet the world with their fancy weapons and flying machines; your natural impulse is to answer in the same way. Just like your father, the Fire Lord."

Zendal looked down in lament. "He's not my real father."

The portly king chuckled and pat the dragon-boy's back. "General Zendal, you're a great warrior. You can even beat me in a duel- wait, that's not true." He laughed. "You may be high in the ranks, but you are still young. Not all kin is bound by blood."

He pressed Zendal's chest, at his heart with his finger. Zendal saw that it was as big as a child's fist. "This," he said, then pointed at the firebender's forehead. "And this. These are what matters."

"Heart and brain?" Zendal asked.

" _Spirit_." The Earth King sipped on his tea. "We are all connected by these tiny strings that run across the lands and waters 'round the globe. You and the Fire Lord. You and I. You and Haezor. You and your betrothed… You and the Ghost. It doesn't matter that you weren't born into the Fire Lord's family. I see him in you, perhaps even better. He raised you as his own, and," he winked at him with a devious smile. "In the near future, you'll be obliged to call him _father_."

Zendal's face reddened.

"I'm not weak, Zendal. Peace is not weakness. I imagine that it is easy for you to take an enemy's life. No one has ever perished by my fist or bending. It takes great strength to fight that impulse, and that is what you must master, if you aim to be stronger."

The Earth King raised his head. "It's time for my midnight snack." He stood up and looked at the outer wall.

Zendal stood up as well and bowed before the King. "Your Highness."

The king nodded. "What I said earlier… You do have an analogous string with the Ghost of Ba Sing Se. Take this not as coincidental. Your destinies are intertwined- which means you will meet him… You might have met him before, even; maybe when you were other lives."

"I'll be ready for him," Zendal said.

"You should be; and what a match that'll be." He laughed. "Well then, I shouldn't keep here. Liro must be looking for me."

Zendal turned his head. "Oh yeah, where is he, You Highness?"

"At the palace," the Earth King said. "He doesn't really know that I left. He always scolds me when I try for a snack in the palace, so I visit some diners and eat there." He crouched with his fists touching the ground. "Farewell, dragon-boy." He bid, then launched himself with an earthbending spring and hit half the steel wall, then he used his giant hands to crawl on the surface by burrowing his fingers in. He was fast for his size.

Zendal took one last gaze at the great steel wall, and the night sky full of clouds. He felt a sense of hope from seeing the city ruled by a great and strong person. He was honored to have met him, and to change the way he thought of him.

Zendal let out a sigh of relief, and went inside his tent.

He went back to a more familiar setting: the fire nation emblem on every crate and other military equipment. He placed the tumbler of tea on a large box next to the bag where he keeps his laser blaster. This and the other objects only reminded him of the battles that were fought and the battles to come, save for a ray of light- his bed. It's been a tiresome day, and it was time to rest. But he can't help but feel that something's still missing.

And then, his text alarm beeped. It was from the person he'd been longing for since the day he left home. "Autocomm," it said. This put a smile on the young general's face. There was one more thing to do before he'd sleep that night. A berry on top of a bowl of sweet snow.

He sat before his _automachine_ and turned it on. A screen opened up on the light box, which, and a flat input device full of keys is connected to a central data storage and processing unit. Zendal has great respect for the minds who invented it, though some are on the enemy's side, designing weapons to kill them.

At the top of the light box, stood an elongated hexahedron, with a flexible middle portion, making it able to bend into any angle. At its front was a circular lens made of glass. It was connected to the central unit as well. Zendal turned it so it would point towards him.

Zendal pressed a combination of keys into the machine. He entered the code for _autocomm_ , so he can connect to the _U_ - _World_ , an intangible network that spans the entire globe, that allows people from different places share information and communicate. This was a useful tool in Zendal's long-distance relationship with Kiega.

A young woman appeared on the screen. She was beautiful; with lips red as ember-berry blossoms, and cheeks lightly blushing with pink, and these without any paint- as beautiful as what Zendal had imprinted on his mind. Her looks as good as her spirit. She wore a white sleeping tunic with a crimson lotus pattern. Her hair was black, with a golden pin holding it to the back of her head, but her long hair was still dangling on her shoulders.

"Good evening, General Zendal." She said, nodding, with her lips straight and serious. "Good to see you in one piece."

Zendal puffed his chest. "My Princess," he replied. "You look ravishing as always- a redeeming sight for a soldier facing death every day."

"I heard from Sir Raezor that you have some news? He didn't sound like himself, so I had to confirm with you."

"Indeed, My Princess. The Fire Lord will be glad. The Earth King has taken our offer to aid them in exchange for their alliance with the Fire Nation in striking back against the Air King."

The princess' eyes narrowed. "Quite foolish of you, telling me this before your liege, my father, the Fire Lord."

Zendal crossed his arms across his chest. "You sit at his right hand in council meetings. You are one of his most trusted, and as you've pointed out, you're his daughter… and he scares the firecrack out of me."

He missed Kiega's laughter. The young general gazed at what he had longed to see in what seemed a very long time. He sat, frozen, like the time spirit somehow stopped the world, for Zendal and Kiega.

Kiega asked him, "What?"

And then, the clock struck a new second.

Zendal smiled, like all he needed to get through such a tiresome day, to gather strength was see this girl he grew up and fell in love with.

"I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Kiega said.

Zendal heard a shrill cry from Kiega's reception. The princess rolled the wheels of her chair back a little, giving space to someone whom Zendal have also been missing. It had a long, red tail and a round leathery belly. Its claws haven't honed or grown long yet, but the small, slightly burn-stained teeth on the jaws were just enough to bite very tender meat. A maid came on the screen holding a baby dragon. It was squirming and flapping its wings trying to free herself until the maid gave her to Kiega. The dragonling squeaked when Kiega held her in her arms. Kiega spoke like she was talking to a human baby. "And _Ember_ misses you, too!"

Zendal could not contain his mirth; he was about to stand but he calmed down and waved at their pet dragon. "Is that Ember? She's so big!"

"She got bigger, yes." Kiega said. "She's been eating a lot."

"I want to go home," the general said. "To you. To Ember. To everyone."

"No one wanted you to leave." She held Ember on her arms across her chest and swayed her like a cradle to make her feel drowsy. "You wanted to serve our nation, and we all supported you. You're always welcome to return. If you want, I can tell my father, since you have done your mission."

"He'll want me to fight when the battles come."

"He'll want you to stay at home. You're his to take care of, too, Zendal. He's scared that something will happen to you, as I am."

"Well, here's hoping." Zendal said. He saw the time. "It's very late," he said. "I shouldn't keep you up."

"I can't wait to see you." She said. "I love you, Zendal."

"I love you, Kiega."

The dragon's yawn sounded like a growl. She dug herself further in Kiega's bosom.

"And you too, Ember."

That night, Zendal slept like he hadn't in weeks. It was the first time he had a shut-eye with an answer from the Earth King. But still, he couldn't help but wonder why the Earth King, of all nights said yes this time. What did he mean when he said that _there are men who would do things that no other person would in a long tim_ e? But it was a question he did not need to know. It was merely trivial. If anything, the answer lies within tomorrow.


	3. Bad Air

**Chapter 3**

 **Bad Air**

First General Atto stood before the window, looking out the busy, flying cities of the Air Nation. The five golden arrows on his left shoulder strap shone beneath the sun. Airbenders flew the skies with their gliders of different designs and colors. Technology in their country has flourished after a long period of all tradition and no progress. He marveled at the view, but his focus went two ways. Behind him was a gathering of the highest ranks of the Air Nation. Eight people sat in a circular table, with a large space in the middle where a light projection of half the world stood rotating. The generals looked down on the Earth in their position. Atto listened to their conversations and arguments about their next move to conquer the walled city beneath them without interfering. He thought it was a waste of time, as he already knew what will happen.

General Shan inserted a digital storage stick and inserted it in the map projector. "If you had been listening to the news," he said. "The Fire Lord's envoy and the Earth King have been meeting for almost a month now. We all know that the Fire Lord wants to help the Earth Kingdom. If they form an alliance, it will be more difficult for us to conquer the walled city and the Kingdom."

"Not a surprise," Supreme General Naal clipped his white, pointy beard with his fingers. "There's already a gathering of Fire Nation troops outside their wall."

"We had a great upper hand with our technology interval with the Earth Kingdom." General Thull said. He tapped the table with his bony finger in unease. "The Fire Nation is our rival in that field. They already installed an energy shield to roof the walls of Ba Sing Se. We need to act now before they let those firebenders into their rotten city."

First General Atto listened to their notions carefully. He tried to push aside the fact that he didn't like any of the people in the chamber. He's had a spat before with each person sitting in the ring table, and that is while they were still his superiors. Now, he's the First General, and how they must hate him for it.

"The Earth Kingdom will take this opportunity." The First General said. Everyone silenced and looked at him. "There's no way we can stop their alliance. Any movement by the Air Nation will only make Jiao-Long more eager to join forces with the Fire Lord."

"So what do you suggest?" Naal asked him. "Do nothing?"

"No." Atto faced them with a blunt expression. Naal annoyed him the most. The bald general was the one with the strongest guts to speak out against him. He even says things about him to the Air King. "Our best option is to get on with our plans. The invasion will proceed as we agreed."

The wrinkly-faced generals did not recognize Atto's statement and kept on discussing their own plans to take the Earth Kingdom.

"We should ask for a cease fire." Supreme General Naal proposed. Years of service in the Air Nation military has left his heart cold as a metal in winter, and just as brittle. He didn't want to see another battle, but he also couldn't retire. He didn't want to become like the First General before Atto, who ran away from his duty with his guilt.

General Shan, however, was not one to keep hiding in the clouds. He carried a true and loyal image of what the Air Nation is fighting for, as was taught by all his teachers in the most expensive universities in the flying cities. "No cease fires," he said. "The Air Nation will look weak."

"Our troops on the ground are tired." Thull had just been promoted a year before, and his days on the battlefield are still fresh in his mind. His sympathy lies with his former companions. "We should pull them out and drop projectiles from here, where they can't fire back."

"We can't do any damage with those energy shields roofing their walls."

"The Fire Nation camps then. We bombard them and the Earth King will lose his allies."

"You silly old fool! Say what you will about that stingy Fire Lord. But he's not one to back down from a fight."

"Gentlemen!" Atto turned around, silencing the room. "This is the Air King's council of generals! We can't mutilate this chamber with novice ideas. We want our enemies fallen, not given hope that they could outsmart these _stupid old men_!"

The generals in the chamber were old veterans of war. They have the experience, and too much pride. To be spoken to like that by someone half their age with a higher rank was purely insulting, but with all the things they've done to get to their position, all the people they've stepped on, they were not about to waste it arguing with the First General Atto.

Atto went to his chair at the center of the room, at the feet of a great sculpture of the Air Nation insignia. First General Atto sat at the Air King's seat as his representative in the meeting. He pushed a button on the keyboard in front of him and closed the projector.

"Gentlemen," he said. "Your presence today has been recognized and appreciated and recorded. But this discussion has been made obsolete by His Majesty. We have thought of a plan to deal with both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. We can end the war with us still standing in the span of a year."

Naal's twisted eyebrows met near between his eyes. "And why would His Majesty make decisions without his council of generals?"

"He did." Atto said, grinning. "I _am_ his council of generals."

"Preposterous!" Shan blurted as he launched from his chair. "How dare you do this behind our back?"

"As First General, I have every right." Atto said. "I told the Air King my plan." He turned on the projector and zoomed in on Ba Sing Se and the Air Nation. He took a small data storage stick and inserted it into the map machine.

Atto continued as he pushed the buttons on the keyboard, entering code for a classified digital file. "After a long conversation with our friend, Egidius Varrick, we came to a conclusion- a solution both desired and efficient."

The old generals watched in astonishment, and fear as the First General showed them the peak of what he would do for his country. For his king. Atto remained calm, but his widened eyes screamed the need for fire.

"Now, my friends," Atto said. He stood up and went between Naal and Thull; and he pat their shoulders. "This is not the time for more of these pointless quarrels. Let us set aside our differences and cooperate in ending our enemies, for the glory of our nation."

"How can we help you," General Shan asked. "The Air King must be already preparing your next promotion."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Atto said. "This is where I belong. As First General, I can give orders and still fight in the battlefield- beats being the Defense Minister, where I'd rot in an office. Besides, we're all credited for this brilliance."

The folds on the generals' faces seemed to lower in numbers when they heard Atto. Do their ears deceive them, they asked themselves. The bald General who refuses to have an arrow tattoo on his head, who refused to utter a word the whole meeting straightened his posture in his seat. "Why?"

"The presses love a good teamwork story," Atto told them. "Our enemies should think that we are a monolith- a force united in one goal without personal agenda." First General Atto pulled the memory stick and hid it inside his coat. "It won't look as though only one person was moving in His Majesty's council of generals."

Naal did his best to hide his boiling temper. He wanted to yammer about how Atto treats them and how he wants to deal with the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. But the man had a point. The Air King had always favored him in plenty of times. He was a military and airbending prodigy, and the last student of the great former First General Arkha, whom after decades of fighting for the Air Nation suddenly fled from the war. They, the Council of Generals were supposed to be the Air King's advisers, especially in times of war. But even when Atto was outvoted, the king would often take his side.

The generals thought that this time, instead of fighting Atto's decisions, they'll ride on his game to please the Air King.

Atto looked at everyone. "So, I'll take your absence of objection as agreeing with me."

Some of the generals nodded. Some snickered in disgust of the plan. Naal's fist trembled in contempt. He wanted to stop him. He had an impulse to save the land-dwellers from the relentless wind that Atto desires to unleash. They were only fighting armies. There was no sense in getting the innocent civilians in the war as well. The old man has lived too long in the world to care for the future he won't be in. But what Atto wanted to do was wrong in every context.

The First General didn't wait for any other response. He was a busy man. And a busier man in times of war. "Well then, I must be going. "I am to meet with Mr. Varrick and escort him to the Air King to present our plan- the one that the Council of Generals voted undividedly upon."

The chamber door opened. A pair of women entered the room. One presented a stronger atmosphere than the other, like how a master would look like to a student. They both wore glider-suits, but it doesn't mean that they were airbenders. A nonbender could still fly with _Varrickfly_ \- a device worn at the back that launches the user in the air with a machine similar to those of airplanes. The women were airbenders, though; and one of the most powerful in the Air Nation- the _Songbirds_.

"Ah, Nightingale!" The First General addressed. "You come just in time. I was just about to leave."

The one Atto called stepped forward. She was the higher rank among the two songbirds, hence her title _Nightingale_. There are only a number of songbirds in the Air Nation, as their subelement is just a decade fresh from discovery. Nightingales don't exceed to the hundreds in number; regular songbirds outnumber them five to one.

The tension in the chamber from the First General's presence was lifted as the nightingale curtsied. The old generals were amazed by her display of power and beauty. Her short, smooth hair was peculiar, as she spent most of her times flying in high winds, as the songbird she was with, whose hair and skin were also flawless soars the skies as well. "Egidius Varrick had just sent word, Sir." The nightingale said. "He is just waiting for us at his home."

"Which means we better get going." Atto passed the council of generals and left the chamber with the songbirds.

Atto saw the young woman the nightingale was with. She had hair that dangled from her head like black tornadoes. Her face was round and light. She wore the white-and-red suit designed especially for songbirds: the gliders are attached to their lower backs, since they need their arms to bend their subelement.

"I haven't seen this one before." The First General said. "She new?"

The nightingale pushed her down to bow. "Shara! Show some respect." She looked at her with resentment. "Forgive me for her manners, Sir. She had just been deployed from the temple to my care, and whatever those monks do to discipline birds must be different than our ways here. She needs ages to learn."

Atto laughed. "Leave her alone, Jina. If she was too good for the Air Temple, then she must have talent." He took a better look at the pretty airbender. His grin was as curved as the crescent moon. "Or perhaps those celibates couldn't have her in their fence without breaking an oath or two."

The nightingale Jina giggled. "Well, we songbirds _are_ irresistible."

The songbird Shara seemed to almost spit on the floor. But that would get her to the floating prisons and suffocate in a metal box with no air or burn in the thermosphere, whichever comes first.

As much as Atto wanted to fool around with his attractive companions, there was work do be done; a war to be ended. They proceeded to the parking area. Outside, there was nothing else to be seen above the railings and the horizon except the sky and more buildings and cities floating in the sky.

Shara is not used to seeing this kind of view. She grew up in an air temple, as all the other songbirds were trained. The city folk thought that they'd rather be sleeping than not be able to fall asleep when the songbirds cry. Their songs were better off in the temple, where their bending is given a spiritual dimension. She was given a cordial welcome the first time she moved to the city. People cheered for her, as songbirds are easily idolized. Despite being known for their awesome bending talent, they are recognized by the Air Nation insignia they wear on their foreheads as a tattoo and identification. It was an honor for an airbender to bear this mark, but Shara covered it with her hair all the time. Jina did not like this, so she always hated her guts.

Shara and Jina guarded the First General through the busy city of Kwanzun. Except for the cargo carriages, there weren't any wheeled vehicles around. The skies are the airbenders' high-way, literally. The Air Nation keeps their populace purely airbender, so they didn't need to worry about what nonbenders would do to get around the flying cities.

Kwanzun is famed for being the commercial center of the Air Nation. It is also the place in their country where advanced technology booms, having one of the Varrick twins in the flying cities. He was the person who discovered the way to make the Air Nation stay up in the sky. What many envious rivals don't understand is how he was able to harness spirit energy and use it to break the chains of gravity on the Air Nation cities. "Maybe only a mind of a Varrick can understand the universe," his fanatics would say.

Shara's eyes kept wandering around Kwanzun. There were shops everywhere. People would swarm in a crowd before the sports store, where they can get the newest _Air Suits_ by Varrick Enterprises. The flying cities, or _airlands_ , as called by the genius looked like giant hives where thousands of bees swarm around.

"It's nice to see active young airbenders." Atto said as he watched the adolescent and young adult in their air suits in the sky, conquering the air. "They have not forgotten their culture amidst a rapidly changing world."

"It is an honor to be able to tame the winds, First General." Jina said in agreement. "Not everyone is fortunate of this ability."

Atto saw their destination in the distance. It was the largest house in the city. It sat on its own island. The First General admired the person who owns it. "Airbending is not the only thing synonymous to fortune," he said. "I'd give up my bending for a beautiful mind."

"Well, you have to be the best to not be sent into the _grill_."

Atto stopped walking.

"What is it, sir?" Jina asked.

"It's nothing." He said. There was something. A memory. _The grill_. His son. He smiled with a hint of grief. "Let's go."

They found themselves at the edge of the island. The Varrick mansion was a hundred meters away from them. Egidius Varrick, a nonbender gets around the Air Cities on a flying car that puts airbenders to either envy or amusement. Egidius adores the attention, either way.

"Let's fly." Atto said.

Shara went first. She jumped on the ledge and fell into the air. She rolled with the wind while staying at the same angle with the land. Once it was far enough from the island, she opened the wings on her hips. The direction of her wings flung her back up to the island, creating a downwards arc-shaped trajectory that connects Kwanzun and Varrick's island.

Atto watched her with awe. "She's good," he remarked.

"Hmmph! Needless antics." Jina said, following the songbird. She jumped on the metal ledge as Sara did.

"You often remind me that songbirds are supposed to be graceful in their flying. You always put it like you dance with the wind itself."

" _Graceful and functional_ ," she said. "What that amateur only ever does is show off. She doesn't give the wind the respect it deserves."

Jina boosted herself off the edge of the island with air blasts from each of her hand. She went flying upwards- opposite the arc that Shara traced. The nightingale landed at the other island, where Shara did. Atto felt the intensity of the nightingale's hate towards Shara in the wind that blew at him. He fixed his hair with his fingers and chuckled.

It was Atto's turn. His wings, like the songbirds, are attached to his clothes as if they were a part of it. But his were attached to his sleeves, inconspicuously. He crossed his arms as his hands reached the opposite shoulders. There, he flipped a small switch which activates the glider. A pair of dragonfly wings stiffened, attached to his shoulder.

His flight was not like that of the songbirds. He owned the sky with a ferocious blast of wind from his fists, launching him in the shortest distance to Varrick's island. The air hit the rough surface of his dragonfly wings violently. It sounded like a dragon's mighty wings that seemed to roar with every strike of its wings. He soared in a straight line. He landed near the songbirds with a knee.

"Most impressive, sir." Jina said.

Shara remained wordless.

"Off we go then." Atto said.

The island was smaller than Kwanzun, but it was large enough to amaze anyone who saw it, more so if they found out that the man who made all these possible is a nonbender. Varrick lived by himself. Besides him, only his robot-servants filled his home. Because no airbender would serve a nonbender.

They passed through a great garden filled with green, and red, and yellow, and all other colors of the flowers that live there. Trees stood tall, as if they were grown in the bottom-world. The fountains played water like there was a waterbender putting on a water show that the surface world hasn't seen in a long time. This is where the airbender's pride ends. The airbender will always be overwhelmed by the great mind of the nonbender Egidius Varrick.

"Breathtaking." The First General said.

Jina closed her mouth. "Always makes me wonder how all this came from a nonbender."

Atto chuckled, but his face seemed weeping. "Nonbenders aren't so lucky in our nation… either descend to the bottom-world, or the grill awaits them. Varrick knows this more than any of us. His neighbors and people he didn't know never stopped reminding him of that when he first came to the Air Nation, and yet today, we're all detached from the world- the epitome of airbender philosophy lived, and all because of a nonbender.

You're a person of the wind, Jina. You ought to understand the world better than everyone else, for you have the widest perspective of it. From up above, you can see everything. You'd be surprised. There's always an Egidius Varrick in any place you go- people who use their unique talents to fit a world that despises their kinds."

Shara looked at the First General voluntarily for the first time. Jina's frown disappeared. The songbirds watched as a single tear dropped out of his eye and rolled on his cheek.

Jina looked straight and at her feet. "I'm sorry, sir."

Atto took out a white cloth piece and wiped his cheek with it. "Don't worry, Jina. It's the law. My son was a nonbender. But he refused to leave home. The fool."

As soon as they got near the big door which was the entrance to a mansion, it opened, as if the person was waiting for them from behind it. Before he appeared out in the daylight, Atto wished for a moment that the dark figure was his son, Nalo. It has always been his fantasy that his son grew up to become great enough for airbenders to be in awe and envy of his presence, as they do with Egidius. Sadly, it could never happen.

They heard giant footsteps. Came out, Egidius Varrick.

The man wore a white metal suit that buzzed with every movement in the joints. The frontal part of his helmet was made of thin glass to help him see. Strings of green and red light squirmed around the glass. It was his aid to gather data on his surroundings. He designed it to guide him especially when he flied.

The genius identified Shara. "You're new, here, aren't you?" He jumped and opened his arms wide. "Then, you deserve the introduction!" He laughed. "The name's Egidius Varrick!" He strut around the songbird. "I'm not a bender, but don't look so low on me!" He traced the clouds with his arm. "I gave the Air Nation wings so she can go up in the skies where she belongs!" He boastfully tittered. "Technically, I have the biggest wings in the Air Nation!"

Shara did not respond to the eccentric man's gest.

Atto pulled Shara aside and shook hands with Varrick. "Egidius."

Varrick took the First General's greeting with both hands. "General! Jolly seeing you again in these troublesome times!"

Atto wore a faint grin. "And what do troublesome times call for?"

Varrick returned the expression. "Ha-ha! The Air King awaits."

oOoOo

"Good evening, First General." Varrick greeted, sitting behind his desk of wood and metal. With light screens hovering around him. He pointed his hand at a chair facing him and the desk. "Always a pleasure. Please, take a seat."

First General Atto went closer and shook hands with him. "Egidius," he said, and then sat on the red cushion on a chair of dark wood.

"So, what brings you here?" The genius asked.

"You know why I'm here."

He laughed. "Of course I do."

"Have you finished it?" The First General asked him. "The Air King can't wait to see what we have created that will end this war and guarantee him sitting on the throne of the world as its highest leader."

Egidius Varrick pulled on a small drawer near the top of his desk. "It's finished," he said surely. He pulled out a small memory stick. "The plans for the _Appen-Kuvira_ device."

"Appen-Kuvira? Why would you name the tool of our glorious nation after two tyrants of history?"

"Ah!" Varrick flicked his pointing finger. "History may see them as such. But those who are fallen in war never get to write their story. _Dead men tell no tales_ , as they say. Appennand Kuvira did what they thought was right about their nation. They weren't thinking that they're evil. They only wanted the best for their people, as what the Air King will."

"Poetic." Atto nodded with praise. "Very well, Egidius. You do an unmatched service to the Air Nation."

"I know that every second I'm kept alive here." Egidius waved the memory stick around the air. "As an added bonus, I made a simulation. Just so the Air King can have an accurate image on what would happen should he use this device. Would you like to see, First General?"

"See it before His Majesty? Steal him of the honor of seeing for the first time, the child of Varrick's mind? A tempting offer, Egidius!"

"Oh, nonsense!" He punched the memory stick into a port on the metal part of his desk. "This was our idea. Your vision. I merely provided its materialization."

He pushed a button on his desk. A three-dimensional light figure of the walled city began to take shape. Is there anything that Egidius could not do? Atto wondered. He was a man of science, and a man of art. The detail on the simulation was mesmerizingly intricate.

The shape of a military island of the Air Nation soon formed above the city. "That's where we hold the device. And now, for the grand finale…"

He clicked on the island.

A small sphere was dropped from the island. It seemed to be on fire, but it was with a different kind of flame. Purple-colored. It was oozing with spirit energy.

Varrick talked through what was happening. "Spirit energy, a source of awesome power discovered and weaponized during the reign of Kuvira, where the device gets half of its name, is the basic ingredient of this bomb. This bomb will be used to show everyone how ruthless the Air King is to his enemies. A case of the finest steel and other metals will hold spirit energy compressed from the size of the moon. This will decimate not only Ba Sing Se, but also the whole continent of the Earth Kingdom. I don't know about the rest of the world, but the only thing I'm sure is that the Air Nation will be safe. As I've already installed shields that are the only ones capable of protection from this kind energy boom."

Atto stood up as he saw the whole walled city crumble into oblivion, consumed by a monstrous purple light. He felt a shiver in his spine. "With this," he said. "No other nation will stand against us."

"No," Varrick agreed. He turned off the simulation and pulled the memory stick. He gave it to the First General. "None will. Ever."

Atto received the stick. "Thank you, Egidius. His Majesty will be most pleased. But what about the island to hold it? We'll take time to build that based on the plans you'll give us."

"There is no need," the genius said. "It's already done. It's at the basement of my island. I'll send it to you."

"Very well."

"There is one other thing… The device will require a great amount of spirit energy, and we're no close to any spirit portal. We'll need to visit one so I can harvest."

"The polar portals are gone. The Underwater Tribe saw to that. Our only option is Republic City."

"Any news on that wasteland? I don't see anyone doing anything about this Amon 4. You don't consider him a threat? You heard what he can do. He might be… _the_ _one_."

Atto frowned. "Should the Avatar suddenly return, we're already stronger than him. There's no stopping us now."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Do," Atto hid the memory stick in his pocket. "I'll send good men to escort you on your journey. They'll protect you from what's lurking in Republic City.

I'll be going then. I have to show this to the Council of Generals for their approval. I'll return shortly after. And then we'll go to the Air King."

"Yes, First General."

They shook hands, then Atto left.


	4. Equality

**Chapter 4**

 **Equality**

"LONG LIVE AMON!"

The weary crew of the airship _Harvester_ woke up to the roaring call of Egidius Varrick, heard by every men near an electronic speaker. It was their last day of work. For a month, they have been travelling from their camps to the heart of the ruins of Republic City to collect energy from the spirit portal, to charge the Appen-Kuvira device that First General Atto and the Air King will use to win the war.

The genius who gave the Air Nation her wings stood beside the body of his portly co-pilot, wearing a red jacket that was white as ivory the other night. His heating blaster in his hand, he aimed it at the men Atto put his faith into protecting Varrick when he sent them to join him in his journey.

Among the crew of the Harvester, Shara the songbird was the most surprised, though she thought that she should have seen it coming. During the days of the harvest, she had been always by his side, as ordered by the First General. He thought she was bored of the Air Cities, where not much excitement happens for her like. And it would spare him the trouble of having to break up an inevitable quarrel between her and the nightingale Jina. Egidius Varrick treated her like a guest of honor; she would join him in his fancy meals, and she would fend off equalists who get in their way. He had become her friend, but now, he has declared himself an enemy of the Air Nation. She couldn't think of anything except for the one thing she has to do.

She went to the cockpit, where Egidius Varrick would be at. Shara counted the bodies that lay on her way to their murderer. She was following his trail of blood and corpses. She saw Pathir, who confessed his love to her a day after they met. Whatever fantasy of his about a future with the songbird, it could never happen, not anymore thanks to Egidius Varrick. She saw Rehil, whom she had spoken to one night when she couldn't sleep. She thought that he had malicious intent towards her when he offered her a drink, but he only ever talked about his family. Rehil won't stop boasting how beautiful his wife and children are. He worked for Atto loyally for ten years, and the First General has never denied him of a quarter. The gallant man worked to get his four children in a good school in the Air Cities. Now their future lies with a riddle. There was a young man whom Shara had taken a liking to- Azaren, who lost his parents to the war. Since then, he had to take care of his sister. He left her to an old couple who wanted a daughter. But he also had to work to sustain her needs, which brought him into service to the First General as an air sailor. Now, half his face is burnt from a blaster shot.

There were different stories behind every man in the Harvester. Shara heard them all during the month she had spent with them. They were adventurers, so she got along with them well. Their stories flashed inside her head for every corpse she walked past. This made it difficult for her to think of a way to fight. She couldn't airbend, like the rest of the crew since morning, something was done to the ship's air, before Egidius Varrick's first shot from his blaster.

She songbird went on, until she heard a faint voice from one of the men on the blood-washed and scorched floor.

"Songbird…"

Shara approached Old Man Lu. He was the oldest of the crew, but certainly not the weakest sailor. His hand was at a large blaster wound, trying to stop blood from flowing out fast. He was reaching his hand for her, hoping that she'd see him.

Shara knelt before him and held him close.

"Old Man Lu," the songbird said. She had many questions. "What happened? Where is Varrick? Why can't we airbend?"

Old Man Lu struggled to speak. "The… shields," he muttered, whimpering. "Lower the shields."

He was gone. But Shara could not weep for him. She could not weep for anyone who died by the nonbender's gun. Her anger outweighed her grief. She was angry that she could not save them. She was angry that they were strong men who were murdered without a fair fight. The most she could do to honor him was close his eyes, to let him rest from the weary time he spent on Earth.

Right now, she could only think about how to defeat Varrick. First, she needed her airbending.

"The shields?" Shara whispered to herself. She thought of the huge sphere made of spirit force projected around the Harvester. Varrick put it up to protect them from intruders, especially equalists since they were in Republic City. Varrick could have done something to the shields, she thought; so he could switch off bending to whoever's inside them.

The switch should be at the cockpit, safely within Varrick's gaze. Shara couldn't face him without her airbending. She'd be dead the second she shows herself to the nonbender's blaster. She had to find another way.

Shara recalled one time when they had to face a horde of equalists. The Harvester took heavy damage and the mechanics had to check the plans for the ship's mechanism, because Varrick's trademark in engineering is far more complex than the mechanics onboard could understand alone, so they would need the blueprints before they fix the damages. Varrick didn't want others to look at his design for long, so he only has one copy of it, and it is hidden in a safe inside his cabin in the ship.

Shara knew where she would go first. She hurried to Varrick's cabin. She knew exactly where it is, as she was the nonbender's closest guard.

She saw the dining hall. She was taken back to her first night on the mission. Inside the hall, as the crew and their captain drank the finest Air Nation ale and ate charred mutton with fancy sauce, the lone songbird stayed outside with her small plate of meat and cup of wine. She sat on the roof, to feel the air. She wanted to see the sky clearly, but the shields obscure the view. There, she was joined by Varrick, who have come outside to flee from the feast. He couldn't drink too much, afraid that he might do or say some things that are out of hand.

He told her about his past; how he got from being a citizen of the then Water Tribe, and how he made a friend in Atto during a conquest of his camp by the Air Nation, and how he promised the Air King to raise his kingdom to the skies where they truly belong, to spare his life.

Shara told him little about her in turn, but it was enough for Varrick to know her. She was an orphan, and was brought to the monks to train airbending and become a songbird.

Varrick asked her what she wanted in her life. Shara said 'freedom.' Freedom from duty, freedom from a dictated identity. Varrick said he wanted equality. Now his actions made sense even more. But his sentiments don't excuse the murders he had committed. He has to be stopped.

Shara moved on to the captain's cabin. It was locked. But the songbird was able to chop it down with an axe at the emergency glass box nearby. Varrick's room looked as if it was designed for a king. A grand bed covered with red cloth stood at the center on a vast carpet. It had curtains on each side. Beside the bed was a nightstand with edges covered in gold. The handle for the drawers were jewels the size of oranges. Shara pulled the top and found a blaster gun with two fully-charged rounds. There are twenty shots per round, so along with the round already loaded in the gun, she has fifty shots. More than enough. But hopefully, she wouldn't use it much, since it's the first time she'll be using a gun.

She hid it in a belt pouch at her back.

She opened the second drawer. Inside was a stack of papers. They were the plans for the Harvester, but it would take her some time to read through all the sheets. Much to her luck, on top of the stack was a memory stick. Shara knew it had to be the plans in software.

Shara went to Varrick's desk. It was messy; crumpled papers everywhere, and countless notes pinned on the wall the desk stood against. Shara couldn't understand anything written there. The notes were written in another language, made up of numbers and unfamiliar symbols.

The desk had a built-in automachine. Of course, there'd be one in Egidius Varrick's room. Shara looked for the port plate and plugged the memory stick. She pressed the button that opens the automachine.

The diodes on the machine lit with green.

A metal-and-glass eye peered from the desk. It shone a flat ray of green light and panned it across the air. The light passed through her, sideways. Then the automachine spoke.

"Access is unauthorized," the light from the diodes turned red. It kept speaking. "Unauthorized. Unauthorized. Unauthorized."

The flashing red light was a signal for Shara to run away. But as she turned around to reach for the door, she was stopped by a sinister grin, and a blaster gun aimed at her face.

Shara froze.

"The shields are the least of your problems now, Shara," the blood-soaked captain said. "Such a shame… you are such a beauty. Amon Four would want to have you for himself, and be stored in a cage like the rest in his collection, but he gave me permission to wipe out everyone on this ship."

" _Everyone_ …" Shara said, her lips shivering. She was bound to cry. "You killed them."

"Stupid bird." Varrick laughed. "Not everyone. You're still alive. So not everyone. Not yet, anyway."

Her hand crept to her back as slow as the songbird allowed it, careful that Varrick won't notice. "You're one of _them_. You're an equalist."

"Always have been," he proudly responded.

"What creature are you, then?"

"Stupid bird. Not all equalists can change form. That's why we have a separate name for them. They're a new species. But their scientific name would only confuse you, so you can call them by what they call themselves- the _changers_. I gave them their beastly sides, of course."

"You? You did all that?"

"Impressed? I know I am!" Varrick said. "But I can't take all the credit. I only invented the process, and baked the first batch, including the great Amon Four himself. Then I showed the team I left in charge of it how to make changers." He chuckled. "I can't move from the Air Nation to Republic City and back too often without arousing suspicion."

Shara had begun comfortable speaking to him at that moment. "How are you beating the Air Nation? You're helping the First General and the Air King. You even built those flying cities for him!"

"Ah… But was I helping?" Egidius flicked his gun at her. "I had to make friends with them. And to their credit, they're both no fools. They'd see a pointless investment when they saw one, so I had to make mine real- with real services and inventions."

"What about that… that _spirit bomb_?" She asked him. "You gave the Air Nation the ultimate weapon."

"Yes, and a shield that will protect them from the immense blast of energy from the explosion. Or so that's what I said."

"What do you mean?"

"There's no shield." He told her. "That kind of energy? In that amount? There's not a shield that can save you from it. Everything in its blast radius will be devoured by the light, and turn into oblivion. Soon, they will use it against the Earth Kingdom, thinking that they will be safe, thinking that I had provided protection for them. They won't be, because I did not. A simple lie, Shara. This one lie, amongst everything I had done for them, will be the means of their doom. Both Air Nation and Earth Kingdom will be destroyed. And then the Equalists will have the Earth Kingdom continent."

"You realize what you're about to do? How many innocents will die because of you?"

"Innocent?" He spat. "Such a strong word to call a Nation of smug airheads who look down upon nonbenders, throwing them in the ovens as punishment for their inferiority. You don't know how people from your Nation look at me. You know nothing. You're a songbird, for crying out loud! You belong in the elite of benders. You don't know what it feels like to be treated like an outcast. You might choose to be one, but I don't get that option. It's the only one I've got."

Tears began to flow out his eyes. "I know." He murmured.

"I know…"

For a brief moment, Shara was feeling sorry for him.

Until his frown turned back to a grin.

"I know. But also…"

He raised his voice. "I also know you've been stalling so you can reach that blaster at your back!"

Varrick's laughter drove her out of focus. She was so surprised and frightened that she lost grip of the blaster in her hand and dropped it on the floor.

The nonbender hit the songbird with the blaster, and brought her with a thud on the carpet. He stepped forward. "Don't get up," he said, charging the gun to full power. "I insist."

He kept talking. "I have to admit- stalling is very clever, for a stupid bender." He chuckled insultingly. "But you made a mistake. Of all the people you can play that trick on, you play it on the man who tricked an entire Nation. There is no fooling me, Shara."

Shara looked around for something she could use to fight. The only thing she could reach for was the blaster she dropped, but the moment she grabs it, she'll be eating a dozen blasts from Varrick's gun, and it's not even lunch.

But then she noticed that her long legs could reach Varrick's, and that with the right angle and force, she could kick him out of balance.

Shara heard a blaster shot so loud, she could not hear it. The carpet was washed with red of blood. The air reeked of burnt flesh. The songbird felt the pain of a thousand flames in half a second. She curled with pain, grabbing the wound on her leg as she watched the smoke come out from the mouth of the blaster in the nonbender's hand. As she squirmed on the floor, faintly, she could hear the cold-blooded laughter of the captain who murdered his crew.

Shara had lost hope. She closed her eyes, and started to cry. She waitied for the second blast shot that would finally end her.

Then the floor suddenly turned by an angle. Varrick lost balance, but he was still able to stand on his feet.

"What was that?" Shara asked. "What's happening?"

Varrick's eyes wandered around, with a confused look on his face. "I don't know," he said. "Turbulence, maybe." He walked to the window near him, and saw a clear blue sky. "Or not." He paused for a second.

"Where are the shields?"

The intruder alarm went off. A loud, annoying buzzing sound pulsed by the second. But it did not strike fear in Varrick. Instead, he smiled at the realization.

"They're here."

"Who are?"

The alarm stopped. Booming sounds were heard one after another, louder every time. Along with it, sounds of stone hitting the concrete floor. People were coming, closer. But were they people? Shara wondered.

Three shadows loomed through the door and inside Varrick's chamber. The nonbender knelt to the first one to enter.

"Amon," Varrick addressed. "My liege."

Shara had seen Amon Four on the news when it doesn't talk about the war. He is labeled a crime lord, the son of his predecessor, Amon Three, whom infested Republic City with a new breed of equalists. He was somehow able to turn his henchmen into half-beasts. Thanks to information Egidius Varrick provided, she knows now that it was him who helped Amon Three to make it possible with his superior knowledge on spirit energy and how spirits can deform the human body. The equalists announced him dead by old age.

His son, the newly appointed Amon Four had other stories revolving around him. The few survivors of his raids made reports that interested a lot of spiritual guides. The ones who came from a town the equalists raided said that they saw Amon Four coming out of the sky. According to another group, they saw him breathe fire to burn a whole house down. Air Nation soldiers who encountered him swore that he's an earthbender, and showed a _moverclip_ of it as proof. The latest hearsays are about him using water to defeat a Fire Nation squad.

Shara almost forgot about her pain when she thought that she might be in the presence of the legendary bender who hid when the Sky War began. She had been gone ever since. Then the Air King announced that she had passed because of an illness. The Avatar at that time, Kishna, was born an airbender. Because of the Water Tribe's descent into the oceans, no one in the surface world knows if the Avatar continues to live in the Underwater Tribe, or if he has already been reincarnated into the next element, Earth.

Amon Four gestured Varrick to rise. The equalist leader eyed Shara. "Who is this?"

"A songbird."

"She's wounded."

Varrick turned to Amon. He looked worried. "Yes, sir… I… she could have killed me. I was defending myself; made sure she could not go anywhere and-."

"She's wounded." Amon turned to him. Shara had never seen Varrick this frightened.

The red circle on Amon's white mask stared right through the nonbender's soul like a menacing eye. Varrick's legs shivered. Amon was clearly disappointed with him.

"You knew I collect rare benders," he said. "And I have yet to obtain a soundbender. They're very agile. Hard to capture."

Varrick breathed frantically. "Fo… forgive me, my liege… I… I shouldn't have shot her."

"Indeed. But I'll still keep her though, until I find a songbird in better condition." Amon patted the nonbender's shoulder. "Don't you worry. I'm not angry with you."

He shrugged, then sighed out of relief. "Thank you, my liege."

"You are dismissed."

"Sir?"

"Your work here is done. I thank you for your services."

Egidius Varrick held his gun tightly. He loaded it with another round and set it to a high-power shot. He raised it and pushed it against his head.

"Long live Amon," he whispered.

He clicked.

Shara shrieked as the nonbender fell to the ground, lifeless, with his lips curled faintly upward. The look of peace and satisfaction.

"Tut-tut. A shame." Amon called to his two companions to dispose of Egidius Varrick's body. He ordered them to burn the corpse and throw the ashes to the spirit portal. The two went inside the room. The first to enter looked human enough, apart from a pair of horns on his head, and legs bent like a horse-hawk's. He has the hooves to make the similarities closer. The second one barely fit through the door. He was a huge man with a giant horn on his head. His large build is supported by his big rhino legs. He stood in a bowing angle, because of his heavy tail. They were just two of Amon's equalists. The changers. The beasts of Republic City.

Amon picked up the blaster gun and approached Shara. "Did you see that?" He asked her. "This is how loyal my men are. Something the Air King or the Fire Lord will never have."

"You kill men who are loyal to you?" Shara cried. "He helped you in so many ways, and this is his reward?"

"He seemed happy when he did it," Amon said. "But he's been with the airbenders for too long. Who knows if he had turned against me a long time ago? He was able to fool the Air King and the Air Nation. How do I know he's not fooling me as well? Besides, I got what I need from him. I have no use of his mind now. Not anymore."

"Classic paranoia," she mocked him.

Amon Four knelt so his hand could reach her chin. "I prefer to call it as a heightened sense of survival."

He hit her head with the gun. Her eyes closed, and she descended into unconsciousness. When she woke up, she was no longer in the dead man's chamber. She was in a dark room. She found it hard to breathe; she felt heavy, and that was when Shara noticed the metal brace wrapped around her neck, covering half her face. Her mouth and nose were sealed shut, but she could still feel her lungs fill with air.

She tried to stand, but her leg still hurt. But the wound had been cleaned and wrapped in bandage. At least she'll live, she thought. But she couldn't celebrate just yet.

She crawled forward, and bumped her head on glass. She felt it with her hand. It was so clear she could see the white mask with the red symbol of the sun, worn by a human figure in a black suit.

Shara frowned. She tried to airbend, but the air in the glass container was too thin to even make a breeze. She tried to speak, but she could not move her mouth. To her surprise, the metal brace around her neck beeped. An automachine voice spoke in her stead.

"A m o n." She said.

The equalist laughed with amusement. "Do you like my voice suppressor? Our dead genius designed it to keep songbirds from soundbending. But I never got to use it until now. It works!"

" e. A m. I?"

"You're in my home- Republic City. And that glass cage is yours. Don't worry. I'll feed you well. And if you behave, you'll have plenty of privileges. I could have a moverscreen installed here so you won't get bored, or if you're into other sorts of entertainment, I'll be more than happy to provide for such a lovely young woman."

Shara's eyes burned with rage. She tried to break the glass with all the strength she could charge in her fist, but she failed.

"Of course, that is if you do as you're told and behave." Amon walked to an open window. It was big enough for one man to fit. Shara saw a great view of the outside. The vastness of the space made her realize that they were at a high place. A steel ledge connected the two edges of the window. It had marks on it suggesting that it had been grabbed by claws, or talons.

He jumped on the ledge.

"W h a t. A r e. Y o u. g?"

Amon Four looked back at her. The bottom part of his mask opened like a mouth. It smiled at her.

"Pulling some strings."

He leapt into the air and fled away.

oOoOo

"LIRO! WE'RE OUT OF WINE!"

The Earth King Jiao-Long was crying to his adviser for more of his favorite drink which bottles he had just emptied. He sat at the place where he spends his nights drinking, up the tallest tower overlooking the poor, crowded surface of the Earth Kingdom capital; he sat on the balcony, so he could see the part of the city he still has yet to fix, to remind him that his duty is still yet to be finished. But to keep himself from depression, he needed his intake of "red grape juice."

"LIRO!" He called.

"LIRO!" He called once more, but the old advisor wouldn't show up or even call back. This worried Jiao-Long, for Liro almost always had shown up after the second shout of his name.

He stood up, then stretched his portly body after hours in his comfy seat.

"Liro's a bit _occupied_ at the moment, Your Majesty." A deep voice said from behind.

The stout king turned around and laughed brutishly at the sight of the man in black. He recognizes the white mask with the red sun very well, as so does everyone in the Earth Kingdom. "Well, what do we have here? Why, I be honored!" He gestured to the man with whimsy. "The equalist leader has come to visit me! Har!"

Jiao-Long saw his adviser, unconscious, in the hands of the equalist. Alarmed, he stomped his foot forward and formed an earthbending stance. "What have you done to poor Liro, Amon?" He asked calmly, with a hint of mockery. "What business do you have here in my city?"

"You might want to lay off that kind of behavior towards me, my King. In these troublesome times, you'll need all the friends you can have."

" _You? Friend?_ " The Earth King spat on the ground. "I'll be a dead man before I let that happen."

"You might as well be." Amon threw a thin, black metal prism to Jiao Long. "Careful with metalbending."

The Earth King caught it without touching. He took it in his hand. "What's this?"

"A memory stick," Amon explained. "Inside contains some plans I thought might interest you."

"What plans? For what?"

Amon explained to the Earth King how the Air Nation plans to use a _superbomb_ to annihilate all of Ba Sing Se and affect possibly the whole Earth Kingdom continent.

The Earth King held the memory stick tightly. He looked at the equalist who sends wicked news, or he could be right about saying that he's no enemy by giving him this crucial information. "They wouldn't… those bastards!"

"They would," Amon assured. "I know you're a man who hides his ferocity under a veil of peace and love and you choosing to do so is admirable. Someone holds a knife to you, you wouldn't take revenge when you've apprehended him. You let him go with some tea and wisdom to change his darkened ways. But what happens when it's someone you love who's got the knife to his throat?" The equalist leader drew a sharp flame from his other hand and held it to Liro's throat.

The Earth King stomped on the floor once again, this time a large pointy slab of stone emerged from the ground and kept it in the air, aimed at the man in the black suit. "One. Wrong. Move," he said. "The red dot on your mask serves well as a target mark."

"Are you sure you can kill me just like that?" He asked, without a change in his voice's emotion. He was not threatened. "You do not know me, Your Majesty. But I did not come here to let you try. I came here to advise you, since you use Liro more as a glorified butler than a real adviser."

The Earth King roared. "Say what you have to say and then leave if you know what's good for you."

"Alright," he replied. "I won't keep you long.

You've been turning down the generous offers of the Fire Lord in helping you to fight the Air Nation... What kept you so stubborn?"

The Earth King looked down. "I… I was sure Ba Sing Se would stand in the end, as it always had." He looked at the memory stick in his hand. "But now…"

"Now, the game has changed," Amon said. "You kept your superior strength and stood your ground, like a true earthbending master. This forced the Air Nation to increase their power, and now they are more than capable of destroying you."

"What should I do?"

"Take the offer. The next time General Zendal visits you, you will say yes. The Fire Nation can help you, especially with this new information. They can find a way to stop the Air Nation from using this superweapon."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?"

"I fight for equality. The Air Nation despises nonbenders. They brand them with inferiority and burn them to keep a pure airbender population. They drop the poor people's ashes on Republic City, where it's raining dead nonbenders. You can see why I hate them.

I plan to equalize the whole world. But the Air Nation has gone too far from the ground and needs to learn their true place. I'm not your enemy nor your friend. Don't forget that. You just happen to be at war with the people I despise the most. Helping you do accomplish that will help me too. Whichever nation wins or loses, I'll have one less enemy in the future."

Jiao-Long scoffed. "That's your clever plan? To wait out the victor of the war so you can take him down while he's still tired from battle? Pathetic. You're not an honorable warrior."

"I don't aspire to be one, nor am I trying to be clever." He dropped Liro to the ground. "I'm just using the easiest plan that works."

"Wrong move." With a sure, clear shot, he sent the pointy slab of earth flying towards the equalist. With his utter accuracy, he would have directly hit Amon, but the equalist leader made a steady form and held the stone at its tip. He disintegrated the pointy projectile into little pieces with a single press of his fingers.

Jiao-Long stared at Amon with awe as the tiny pieces of stone drop on the ground like rain.

"So the rumors are true," the Earth King said, with his eyes wide open.

He swallowed. "You're the _one_. You're the Avatar."

Amon Four jumped high, and disappeared into the night sky.


	5. The Agents of Kyoshi

**Chapter 5**

 **The Agents of Kyoshi**

Zendal and Haezor made their last stop at Chin City before they reached their destination, to recharge their vehicle and have it cooled down after a long journey through the dessert. Their armored speeder was built for quicker and multi-terrain travels, but it took a bit of damage from the sandstorm they went through. Haezor blamed Zendal's stubbornness for it. Sand got into the motor, so they took it to a mechanic so it can be cleaned up or replaced. Either way, it will be paid for by the Fire Nation military fund.

As they waited for their speeder to be fixed, Haezor thought they should enjoy the city at night to make their stop worthwhile. Zendal wasn't open to the idea; he didn't want to waste time while their enemy is planning to destroy a whole nation or continent. He was eager to deliver a memory stick he received from the Earth King, who slipped it into his jacket the last time they talked. It contains plans for a superweapon the Air Nation will use to destroy Ba Sing Se and possibly the whole Earth Kingdom continent. He went along, anyway. He thought that even if they did nothing, they'd still have to wait for their vehicle to be ready. And with this new information, knowing that there are people who would do such a gruesome thing, Zendal figured he could use a drink.

Haezor had this natural gift for finding places where alcoholic drinks are sold. He took Zendal to a place with loud, electronic music that lights of various colors follow with their movement. There was a funny scent in the air. Zendal didn't feel comfortable with the people there. He was overdressed compared to everyone. His large, armored coat took enough attention to get the attention of everyone near them.

"Fire Nation!" One yelled at him. "Are you gonna set us on fire, cinderman? Or do you plan to shoot us with one of your death blasters?"

"Woo!" He danced away, shouting "Peace! War is wrong!"

"WAR S WRONG! WAR IS WRONG!" The other young people chanted with him. They threw smoking _cindersticks_ at him in protest of him being there. Right then, he regret that he didn't change clothes as Haezor did. For a moment, he was sure that his friend had a cinderstick in his hand and threw it at him as well.

Zendal was thinking of showing his firebending skills to get them behaved, but he was afraid that this will only make him look bad. It most probably will, so he stormed out, with an annoyed look on his face.

Haezor followed him. "Hey, Zendal! Where are you going?"

Zendal kept walking. He didn't look back. "Where do you think? Back to the docks. We have to get to Kyoshi Island as soon as we can."

Haezor caught him by his shoulder. "And we will, but right now. Our ride needs to be rested, or else, it could explode right in the middle of the sea."

"You go have fun, my friend." He replied. "It's not my kind of a good time. I'll find my fun elsewhere."

"Are you sure?" Haezor asked. "These people aren't so bad."

A young woman ran into Zendal and spilled a fruity drink on his white-and-red coat. It didn't seem intentional; it was clear that she tripped… in front of him… while her friends are at a corner, laughing mockingly at him. As soon as the girl was able to get back to them, another one raised her drink. She booed and shouted, "Go back to the Fire Nation!"

Zendal didn't mind them out of respect and control of his temper. He wiped the purple stain with a handkerchief from his pocket. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Haezor cringed out of embarrassment. "Okay. I'll meet you at the docks at sunrise."

They two bid each other goodbye and went their separate ways. Zendal overheard his friend talk to the girls who laughed at him, asking why he hangs out with a _military_ _hound_. Haezor told them that he's a nice guy, a brave soldier, and the best friend he has. That got the general smiling and forgiving for pulling him into that sort of place.

General Zendal took a long route to the docks. He wanted to savor the city lights to get a closer look of what he was fighting for. He soon regrets going through the crowded streets. Everyone avoided him. Everyone he passed by gave him judging gazes. He wasn't used to this kind of treatment. Back home in the Fire Nation, he was a hero, and there's his biggest fan, his fiancé Kiega. In Ba Sing Se, he was treated as the Earth King's guest of honor. But here, among the people, he was nothing but a weapon, a tool used by kings to win wars.

Right then, Zendal was feeling doubts about the cause he's rallying. He asked himself if he was doing what is best for the common people, the many, or what is best for the few.

Thinking about all of these has made him wanting to drink even more. He then proceeded to the docks. He knew there'd be a tavern nearby, as it's where sailors would go to pass the time on land, and what better way is there else to do after long days without wine or rum? Zendal saw a group of sailors and they pointed him to the place where they get their drinking needs. It wasn't a long walk, and not too far from the mechanic fixing the military speeder.

Zendal went inside and sat at the bar. He asked for a big mug of strawberry ale. The bartender noticed his uniform as he gave him his drink.

"Hey, you're Fire Nation!" He exclaimed. "And a soldier, too. Fighting the war, obviously?"

"Yes, sir." He bowed his head to the old bartender. "I hope my kind is allowed in your establishment." He pulled the napkins to him and tried to wipe off the stain on his coat.

"You should know better than to go to them dance halls."

"I know, sir."

The white-haired bartender laughed. "No need to be so formal, young man. And this ain't a cactus juice-bathed hipster dance hall. And all of us here understand the sacrifices you brave soldiers make for your country."

Zendal smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He looked around the tavern, to the men in sailor uniforms chugging ale and eating huge slices of meat as they sing and laugh like it was their last night. It could be. Humankind has progressed in many ways over the centuries, but the sea remains unbroken, and yet to be tamed.

"What brings you here, though?" The bartender asked. "The war's heating up at Ba Sing Se, I hear. And there's nothing much interesting in this parts of the Earth Kingdom, well except the young women." He winked, his mustache twitching. "You finding yourself a Chin City gal before a big battle, lad?"

"Oh, no no no!" The young general assured. He rubbed his hair, blushing. "I'm betrothed."

The old man's eyebrows raised in amusement. "Oh, hohoho! I didn't take you for a taken man! Who's the lucky gal?"

"I'm the lucky one." Zendal chuckled. "Um… the Fire Princess Kiega, the Fire Lord's youngest gem."

The bartender's jaw dropped. "You're General Zendal!"

The young man nodded. "So you heard of me?"

The old man bowed. "Everyone knows you, sir."

"Please don't call me 'sir.' And that's why I joined the military. I don't really enjoy being followed by gossip-media and the flashes of their cameras. The less people know I'm here the better off I'll be."

"Very well, lad. I understand."

The bartender left him to see his other customers. Zendal watched him if he'd tell them about a celebrity present in his tavern. But they didn't look as much interested in him as with everyone else in the room.

He took a mouthful of the strawberry ale from his mug and gulped heartily. Drinking it always brings him back home, with Kiega. Being born with her legs paralyzed, she was always on a wheelchair, and hidden from the outside world where she could get hurt. But Zendal wanted to show her the world she'd been missing, so one night, he sneaked her out of the palace and he brought her to the colorful city lights of one of the Fire Nation's greatest cities. He took her to the night market, where the Fire Princess Kiega had her first streetfood. Then they shared a bottle of strawberry ale, which Kiega was reluctant of drinking at first, but she trusted Zendal enough to drink it with him.

The Fire Lord found out, Zendal got into big trouble. But for him, looking back to those times, it was worth it. Because that night was when Kiega fell in love with him, and she loved him as he loved her ever since.

Zendal drank his mug empty, yearning for his princess. He wanted to see her, ask how she was doing, and that he's coming home soon. But he wasn't so sure about the last part. Every battle he fought, he always thought that it might be his last. Anyone can be lost to the war. Too many times, he thought of leaving the Earth Kingdom and return to the Fire Nation, to Kiega. He wanted to call her, but he knew she'd be asleep already.

"Good night, my love," Zendal told the empty mug.

Someone grabbed his shoulder. "Well, that's a way to talk to alcohol," the person said.

Zendal turned to see who it was. "Haezor?" He was relieved to see a familiar face again. "I thought you're dancing with those… lively people?"

Haezor chuckled. "They're not so bad."

"How did you find me?"

"You want to leave as soon as possible. And this place is the closest to the mechanic and the harbor."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about earlier," Zendal said. "I just miss home and I want this whole thing to be done so I can take a leave."

"No, it's fine. I'm sorry, too. But you don't miss home. You miss Kiega, don't you?"

With a flash of a smile, the general nodded.

"Well, you better get up now, then. Our ride's ready to go."

Zendal left a tip on the bar and went outside. Their armored speeder was already there. Haezor had picked it up from the mechanic and used it to get to the tavern so they'd be closer to the harbor.

The two young men jumped in their vehicle. Haezor sat at the driver's seat, while Zendal by his side.

They drove straight to the horizon. They were back on their way again. This time, the road was to be shifty, wavy and blue. It was time to convert the speeder into sea mode. The wheels and the rest of the vehicle's bottom was covered with a steel sheet which resembled the bottom of a boat. The rear wheels came out as propellers to get them zooming across the water.

They raced against the motion of the moon and stars, to the island east of Chin City, where they'll find their destination.

Haezor watched the holomap on the control board, anxiously anticipating to see a piece of land, as they were already in the middle of the sea. "Do you think we're heading in the right direction?" He asked Zendal.

"You shouldn't rely on the map," Zendal told him. "I was told that navigation systems don't work around the area. Many tend to avoid this part of the waters, as many have gotten lost treading in places they shouldn't be. Best thing is to travel opposite the sky."

"Where did they say that place is?"

"They said it's near water." The general said with a chuckle.

"Well, that's helpful." Haezor looked back on the map.

After a while, the map and the vehicle's automachine began to get static. Haezor tapped the hardware where the holoscreen's light was coming from.

"We're close." Zendal told Haezor.

They kept their path straight, till in the distance they saw a faint image of an island. It had no lights as it was darker than the night sky.

"There's an island over there, but I'm not sure if it's where we're supposed to go. What do you think, Zendal?"

"Let's go there."

Haezor converted the vehicle back to land terrains mode as they got past the water. They were greeted by a pitch black bay. There was nothing on the island but the silhouette of tall trees and what's left of buildings after earlier days of the sky wars. During geography classes at the Fire Nation University, Zendal and his friends shared scary stories about places in the world said to be haunted, that included the island of Kyoshi.

Kyoshi Island was on the verge of becoming one of the greatest cities in the world when the Air Nation attacked. Now, it stands in ruins, abandoned, with a peering faint light in the distance, a now more superior city of Chin.

According to campfire stories, people have seen ghosts wandering about the dark island, with strange lights appearing and disappearing. And there is also the thing with people getting lost near it, with a few to be unlucky to find their way back home. Some say that it is the work of a spirit who wants to get back at humans for tearing the world apart with the war. Some say it is the ghost of Kyoshi, whom the island was named for, as to express her anger for the fate of her people.

Whether these were true or not, Zendal was eager to know, apart from getting his work done.

They left the vehicle at the beach, just a few feet from the tide's reach. Zendal brought his weapon and wore it around his arm.

Haezor looked at him alarmingly. "What for?"

"Just in case."

They stayed beside their speeder and scanned the area. They lit their trail with fire from their palms. They found the charred remains of the city that once stood there. Zendal and Haezor knew that they were surrounded by many deaths, many corpses.

The two stopped at a lonely park. It had a monument at the center. Zendal went to it to inspect. It was a stone statue of a woman in warrior's armor. Its head and arm had fallen on the ground, broken. The general shed the light from his fire on the inscription at the statue's base.

 ** _Avatar_**

Her given name and the detailed text about her had been smudged smooth with an abrasive or a grinder. But some young folks seemed to have taken the effort of giving the statue a new inscription, and they wrote it with their brightly-colored spray paint:

 ** _Betrayed duty._**

 ** _Abandoned the world._**

 ** _False Savior._**

Zendal only realized by then that what he stood before was no longer a monument. It's a tomb; a tomb where people buried their hope for a better tomorrow, hope for the Avatar to save them from the vicious Air Nation.

After looking at some destroyed buildings, realizing that he had gone far alone, Haezor hurriedly went to the monument and joined his friend.

"Hey, what are we doing here?" He asked Zendal, staring back into the dark woods where they came from, as if waiting for something to come out. "This is Kyoshi Island. So, now what?"

"Now, we wait." General Zendal said, with a calm voice.

"Are you sure we're at the right place? I'm freaking out right now, man."

A voice called from behind them. "If you're so scared of places like this, then you are not fit on becoming a soldier."

At a moment's alarm, Zendal charged and aimed his weapon at the direction the voice came from. Haezor armed his fists in a fireblast stance.

"Who goes there?" Zendal demanded. "Show yourself!"

The person who spoke emerged from the shadows and into the light cast by Haezor's fire. He was wearing a flexible body suit with layers of thin plates that moved just right with his limbs and with his body gestures. His hair was as dark as the woods behind him. The fire shone enough light to see his face. He was around the same age as Zendal, probably younger. "That's supposed to be my line, but… I already know who you are,

General Zendal. And Lieutenant Haezor of the Fire Nation."

Haezor stepped forward, keeping his stance. "Who are you? How do you know our names?"

"It's our business to know." The young man walked closer to the two firebenders, without recognizing their threat. "It's my trade." He turned to Zendal. "General," he addressed, with a nod in greeting. "The Earth King sent you here to deliver an important cargo. Let me escort you to our base of operations."

"And who are we speaking to?" Zendal asked. "Answer my lieutenant's question."

The young man laughed. "Very cautious," he remarked. "Expected of someone of your stature. I'm supposed to tell you that I'm a mere Kyoshi Agent and that was it, but I can't help myself. The name's Ken Sato. Perhaps that rings a bell?"

To Zendal's surprise, he knew who he was, but only by name. Ken Sato was a renowned soldier for the Earth Kingdom.

The fire cannon on Zendal's arm switched off by a button he pushed. He pulled the pulled the nuzzle back and then his hand came out as the weapon turned into a gauntlet.

"Hold your fire, Haezor." Zendal ordered. "He's with us."

The lieutenant followed. Then the general approached the young man named Sato to shake hands.

"The famous Ken Sato. I've heard so much about you." Zendal greeted.

Sato flashed a provoking smile. "Can't say I'm surprised."

Zendal sensed some bad air about the agent, but kept the conversation professional on his part. "My combat teachers praise your skills in the battlefield. Your marksmanship is legendary."

"Well, it breaks my heart to say it, but my aim is still rusted compared to your finest Yuyan snipers."

"Weren't you invited to a Fire Nation military convention? There was a Yuyan sharpshooting show last time. I learned many things from just watching our snipers in action."

"Oh, I was there," the agent said, in a boasting voice. "But I was at a different event with a gorgeous Yuyan sniper." He smiled with malice. "To her credit, I did learn new things from watching her in action, and I got close enough to see plenty of-"

It was going too far. Zendal had to burst in. "We have a schedule to keep," he said.

Ken Sato kept his mouth hanging, with an annoyed expression on his face. "Of course," he said. "Don't cover your nose."

The two firebenders only had a second to wonder why the agent said that last part before a puff of gas blew up in front of them. They inhaled the gas and suddenly felt drowsy, till the effects became more potent and they lost consciousness. Before Zendal was knocked out, he had a glimpse at Ken Sato, the Kyoshi Agent. He was wearing a gas mask.

And then he fainted. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the same place. He couldn't open his eyes wide at first. From a dark island, now he lay on a comfy bed, in a bright room. He got up and took in what he could see.

The first thought that popped in his head was that he got captured, but he was convinced otherwise when he saw his weapon still at his arm. And Haezor was in the same room, on a different bed. He was still unconscious.

A young woman came in the room. Judging by the same outfit she was wearing as Ken Sato was, Zendal figured she was also a Kyoshi Agent. But unlike Sato, who brought a tranquilizer gas bomb with him, the woman brought them some food and water.

"We're very sorry for what Ken did, General, sir," she said, checking his vitals with a health scanner. "But you'll be fine. He didn't give you anything lethal. You must be hungry."

"I heard his reputation for naught." He said. "So, where are we?"

"At the Earth Kingdom main headquarters of the Kyoshi Intel Agency. They told us you're a fine soldier and can be trusted with government secrets."

"That's kind of risky. But I'm very flattered."

She chuckled. "I'm Kyara. Nice to meet you, sir."

"Well, there's no point for me to introduce myself, huh? It is your trade."

"Yes, we do, general. And you might want to steer clear of the flirting waters, unless you want Princess Kiega to unleash her dragon on you."

The Fire Nation general laughed. "You started it," he teased.

Kyara placed on a table two bowls of rice and an open can of meat with a pair of water bottles on a tray. "It's not much, I'm sorry. We're low on supplies because of the war."

"We're soldiers, Lady Kyara," Zendal said. "Compared to what we ate in the battlefield, this is a feast."

"I don't recall your royal guest treatment in Ba Sing Se's Undercity being not as humble as this is."

"But that's because we got our eats from parachutes and a brutish king instead of a pretty girl."

He got embarrassed as soon as he saw Kyara's surprised look. "I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to a woman like this since I left home."

"It's okay." She said. "I'm very flattered."

Zendal felt more comfortable speaking to his new friend by the moment, until his eyes wandered left, to his friend, Haezor who had awakened… a few minutes ago.

Haezor locked judging eyes at him with resentment as the general seemed to make some advancements on a pretty girl. Being best friends for so long, they were able to develop a way of communicating by exchanging looks. And right then, Zendal could hear his voice in his head. _"You bastard. How dare you? You have Kiega. I will destroy you if you betray her."_

Haezor's terrifying gaze set the general straight. But he wouldn't have gotten closer to the agent. He loves Kiega, more than anything.

Zendal picked up the bottle of water. "Thank you for the hospitality, Lady Kyara," he said. "Someone here is expecting us to deliver a package from the Earth King."

"Of course. We'll take you to him as soon as you're ready."

"Hey, wait. I asked you where we are. Are we still on Kyoshi Island?"

Kyara smiled. "Sort of. We're _in_ Kyoshi Island. Just come out when you're ready." Then she left the room.

Zendal laid back on the bed and let out a sigh. "Shall we go out there?" He asked Haezor.

"Wait." The lieutenant jumped out of the sheets and snatched a bowl of rice and a spoon from the tray on the table. "How rude of us to not even touch food Miss Kyara gave us." He picked up the can of meat and heated it with firebending. He poured half of it on his rice and ate it heartily with each spoonful. "She's cute, though. Do you think she'll go out with me if I ask her out? Or do they have some protocol forcing them not to?"

"If there is a rule, Ken Sato doesn't seem to mind," Zendal said. "Haezor?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss Kiega." He stared at the ceiling. "I wonder what she's doing."

Haezor dragged his spoon around the bowl. "If I know my cousin, she's probably in the garden, watching Ember play in the grass, and drinking tea, thinking about you, too."

Zendal smiled at the image. But he wished that he would also be there with her. "I can't wait go home," he said.

"I know. Me too." Haezor scooped his last spoon of rice and meat sauce. "We could ask for a break." He put down the bowl and drank the bottle of water.

"Maybe you, but I'm a general. I can't leave the battlefield now."

"Remember when we left? Kiega didn't want you to go. She didn't even want you to join the army. Still, you did."

"Who else will do what we do? We are at war with the Air Nation. Our nation needs all the help she can get. And by fighting the war, I'm making the world a better place for Kiega, and our future family."

"You won't have a family if you die in a fight," Haezor said. "She doesn't want you risking your life for her, especially when you're hundreds of miles away."

Zendal stood up. "It's too late for regrets," he told him. "I'm here now. And I'm seeing this through to the end." He put on his coat and walked to the door. "Let's go. We still have a mission."

"Whatever you say, General." Haezor said, then followed.

They left the room, and followed the hallway until they found themselves in a busy place. People in uniforms were everywhere, walking to different stations, holding all sorts of files. The general and the lieutenant stood out with their white and red coats amidst a sea of deep green and gold people.

"General, over here!" A voice called from the reception table. Kyara walked to them. She greeted Haezor, who couldn't speak well in front of the beautiful Kyoshi Agent.

"Come with me," she said. "White Lotus awaits."

"White Lotus?" Haezor whispered.

"Must be their leader."

Kyara lead them to an elevator which brought them a long way underground. The elevator wasn't too narrow for three people, but Haezor stood closer to Kyara.

"So, we're really underground?" Zendal asked the agent.

"Yes," she answered. "We're hundreds of feet under the island. It was made so to be the perfect storage of world data."

"World data?"

"We're the recorders of history, General Zendal. Our organization was created to gather every information we can get."

"So, you know everything?"

"Not everything, but if you know something, we probably know it already and more."

Zendal observed the elevator's interior. It was a design he never saw before. It didn't show any signs of using spirit energy. "You're far away from any spirit powerplants," he said. "And if you are connected to one, you can easily get tracked down."

"Very good, General," the agent remarked. "Indeed, we don't use spirit energy. We get our devices working by converting the heat of the inner Earth into electricity. Since we're so deep into the ground, we are the only ones who have access to this source. And any global thermal scan will only detect us as volcanic activity."

They got out of the elevator as soon as they reached the lowest floor next to the basement. They proceeded to the office of the Grand Lotuses, the leaders of the Kyoshi Agents, and the firebenders were about to meet the highest-ranking officer, the White Lotus.

They entered the highly secured room, with a door that opens with an eye scanner. Zendal and Haezor were very impressed by everyhting they saw so far. The inside of the room was even more clad with sophisticated technology. It was so advanced that they couldn't figure out what the devices are for.

"Welcome, General Zendal. Lieutenant Haezor." A woman's hoarse voice spoke.

Zendal turned to the end of the room, where an elderly woman sat behind a table full of files and holoscreens. Above her hung a statue of a black owl spirit, which is the sigil of the Kyoshi Intel Agency. Beside her, Ken Sato sat on a guest's chair.

"White Lotus," Kyara addressed. "Sir Sato."

"You're White Lotus?" Zendal asked.

"Indeed." The old woman answered. "But that's all you'll find out about me. I hear you're a curious fellow."

Zendal pulled the memory stick out of his pocket and showed it to the White Lotus. "The Earth King had me send you this."

"Ah, Jiao-Long. Yes. And it contains the plans for the Air Nation superweapon?"

"Yes! How… Oh, right. Intelligence Agency." Zendal placed the memory stick on the table.

"It's a bomb," White Lotus explained. "But this one, when detonated, will decimate all of the Earth Kingdom continent. This would cause an imbalance in the environment, which will drastically affect the world's ecosystems."

Zendal remembered the Earth King's words the night they last spoke alone. _"There are men who would do things that no other person would in a long time."_ Now he understood what he meant. He was talking about this bomb.

"Who would make such a horrible thing?" The general asked.

"Pfft." Ken Sato cringed. "Egidius Varrick, who else? Is there another _airblower_ show-off that would be so evil? I wanted to kill him myself, but a shame that I can't now."

"What do you mean?"

"He's dead."

"What happened to him?" Haezor asked.

"He was killed by Amon Four," White Lotus said. "As it turns out, Varrick's an equalist, hiding under the Air Nation's nose. They're not gullible fools. Varrick was just too smart for them. But when the time came that Amon no longer needed him, he was disposed of."

"So Amon Four's a player in the sky war?" Zendal asked.

"Not just a player, young man. He keeps the sky war going. He wants the Earth Kingdom and Air Nation to battle it out so he can take on the last nation standing, which, because of the fatigue from battle, will be easier for him to attack."

"That's petty." Haezor mocked.

"But it could most definitely work." Sato said.

"So… Amon Four," Lieutenant Haezor lowered his voice, as if whispering. "Is he… the one?"

"Oh, we assure you, he's not." White Lotus said.

"I've fought him before." Said the Fire Nation general. "And I saw him bend all the elements."

"Ah, yes. The battle of Whaletail Island," Ken Sato raised his head in recalling. He looked amazed. "You fought him head on. I like that. But he only returned your fireballs. And then you beat him with a one-chance lightning ball."

Zendal laughed with embarrassment. "I broke my gauntlet with that move. It wasn't designed for that. It was a desperate decision.

But Amon did bend fire, air, water, and earth."

"Yes. But he's not the Avatar," the White Lotus insisted. "If you have met him, then you've seen his men up close?"

"I faced them before Amon. The Beasts of Republic City. Half human, half animal."

"Do you know how they became like that? You have a sensitive spirit, so you must have noticed."

"I sensed something eerie in their chi…" He tried to remember. Every equalist beast he fought, he had the slightest feeling that he was fighting two lives. Apart from the obvious half human form, he could hear the animal inside him roaring in pain.

"They were fused together… using spirit energy."

"How is that possible?"

"Spirit energy is only a tangible form of life energy. Once you know how to harness it in subatomic levels, you can manipulate life itself, and even its forms. Only one person outside our agency knows how to do this."

"Egidius Varrick… Wait." Zendal raised his brow. "You know how to do it?"

"It's our business to know. But not only that. We figured out a way to fuse creatures without changing the structure of the human permanently, and summon the animal's abilities when willed."

"Impossible..."

"After all you've seen," Ken Sato stood up. He fell on his hands and feet. Then, his hair began to spread on his face, which stretched as far as twice his head. His teeth became fangs as sharp as the ears which were now at the top of his head. His hair had become fur that covered his body to the tail. And then, a pair of webbed wings grew from his hands to his side. It happened fast. He stood on his two back paws. A howl signaled the end of his transformation into a were-wolfbat. "You still think that it's impossible?"

Haezor rubbed his eyes. Zendal almost armed his weapon.

The were-wolfbat laughed. His voice had become like that of a huge person. The firebenders thought he sounded close to the Earth King. "Always fun to see people's reactions!"

"How did you do that?" Haezor asked White Lotus, hysterically.

"Ask the genius who cracked the code." The old woman nodded in Sato's direction.

"You?" Zendal said. "Ken Sato?"

"I might not brag about it like Varrick does, but I'm a bright guy myself! It's in my blood. But I prefer to be known for being a fighter rather than a scientist."

"Our technology is ahead of its time, thanks to our resources and Ken Sato's creative mind." White Lotus said. "But Amon Four crossed the line and fused himself with four human beings, all benders of each of the four elements."

"All these technology…" Zendal said. "You could easily end the war with these."

White Lotus looked down and smiled. "Yes… we can end this war. The sky war. But if you learn one thing from history, General, it's that people will always have a reason to go to war. We stop this one, there'll be another to come. Every war that ever took place was the same, and they were stopped by the same person."

"The Avatar?" Zendal scoffed. "Well, this war will be different, then. Our great bridge is nowhere to be found, abandoning us. But we don't need the Avatar to end the war. We can do it ourselves."

Zendal was replied with silence. The White Lotus, Kyara and Ken Sato stared at him, as though they wanted to tell him something but were reluctant.

"What?" Zendal took the hint. "You know something. Right, you know everything.

The Avatar lives, then?"

White Lotus cleared her throat. "I'm not denying nor confirming anything," he said. "But I can tell you that we know the state of the Avatar."

"Then, where is he? Or she?"

"Why do you want to know? So you can have a powerful weapon on your side?"

"You make it sound like we're the bad guys." Haezor said. "It's the Air Nation who wants to destroy the earth, so they can live happily in their sky houses."

Ken Sato stomped his foot. "We're not an army. We're scribes, writing history as it happens. We can't meddle with anyone's war. It's not our job."

"Then why are you helping us?" Zendal asked him.

White Lotus frowned. "The Air Nation plans to blow up the entire Earth Kingdom continent. Our storages and other offices are at risk that we can't afford. We're only helping you to help us continue out work. We're allowed to make this exception." The old woman stood up. "Thank you for delivering this memory stick to us. We will examine the weapon blueprints and build a plan to defuse it. You'll be hearing from us again when the time comes for us to do the defusal maneuver. Agent Sato will lead a team to do it and you are invited to come. Your skills will be useful when you get detected and you will."

Zendal sniggered. "That's it? Now we get to leave?"

"We are sorry for burdening you with the task. War means busy times for us and we are running short of men." She gestured to the two agents. "Ken and Kyara will show you out. Don't worry. He won't tranquilize you again."

Ken Sato turned back into human form as quick as he turned earlier.

Zendal and Haezor walked to the door, stomping their feet with discontent.

"And, General."

Zendal looked back.

"Don't start a hunt. A Fire Nation royal hunting the Avatar is so ancient history. Besides, you won't find him. You might as well look for a ghost."

The door closed behind the General, leaving the White Lotus in her office.

Zendal and Haezor were taken back to the surface on a submarine. Agent Kyara explained how Ken Sato brought them to the headquarters on the same vehicle. And the swaggering tom cat told how he dragged them on the way. He was the only one who laughed.

The underwater scenery reminded Zendal of another nation that has been missing in global affairs. "Kyara, have you heard from the Underwater Tribe?"

Kyara turned to Ken Sato. She spoke when her supervising agent nodded in affirmation.

"We've tried to infiltrate their cities," she said, with a hint of reluctance. "But their defenses are too strong. We couldn't breach them or even get that near."

"It's logic, Zendal." Ken Sato added. "The battlefield with them is under the sea. They overpower us tenfold. Their move to live underwater fits very well to their culture and waterbenders."

"Is the current Avatar a waterbender?" Zendal asked.

"This again!" Ken Sato gave a smothered laugh. "Just burn half your face, you'll be perfect to hunt the Avatar."

"I'm just curious. You can at least tell me which element he began."

Ken Sato sighed. "Earth."

Earth? The last Avatar to be known was born an airbender- Avatar Kishana. "What happened to the one before that?"

"Dead, most probably. And that's too much I told you.

Besides, White Lotus already told you that it's a wild goosepig chase.

You might indeed as well be looking for a _ghost_."


End file.
